Night Shadows
by Knightwolf
Summary: Due to Motoko's actions, a rival family decides to make a move against the Aoyama. Now, her very life is in danger as an old enemy returns to eliminate Motoko.
1. Shadows of the Past

Hey, everyone. Here's yet another sequel story in my now seeming long saga involving Keitaro and Motoko. If you're not familiar with the previous stories I wrote, they are Compassionate Swordplay, Love's Sharp Blade, Moving Forward, You Have Me, and Song of the Nightingale. This will be the sixth story in the series. Things will heat up in this chapter, thus the 'R' rating. So be forewarned, steamy scenes ahead. Anyway, I hope you like this latest installment. Enjoy!

Disclaimers: Love Hina is owned and created by Ken Akamatsu.

The song "Everything" by Lifehouse was written by Jason Wade.

Night Shadows

Chapter I:

Shadows of the Past

The yellow sun shines brightly on this beautiful morning. The warm spring breeze flows over the land of green grassy hills and bamboo trees. Above, the white clouds move steadily under the bright sun. Sparrows fly about from tree to tree, spreading their wings and singing their song in a chorus that fills the area. The sound of children's laughter can be heard echoing as it grows closer and closer.

Two little girls emerged from the small bamboo forest. They smiled as they laughed, running side by side, hand in hand, going farther and farther back into the vast property of the one girl's family. Running farther than they ever had before, the two came upon an old wooden bridge, stretching high over rushing water. One girl ran out onto the bridge, looked over the railing and gazed down at the water in amazement.

"Mot-chan! Mot-chan! Come look at the water!" The girl said, pointing down.

The other girl, hesitantly standing at the edge of the bridge, said,

"But Rei-chan, it could be dangerous!"

"It's okay! See? No problem!" Rei-chan said, tapping her foot on the old wood.

"O-Okay." Mot-chan said, before cautiously stepping out onto the old wooden boards of the bridge.

Mot-chan looked down at the water with her friend.

"Woooow. Amazing! We're so high up and the water is going so fast."

"Yeah! Its incredible!"

Rei-chan then turned to her friend and took her by the hand.

"Mot-chan, let's make a promise. Let's be best friends forever!"

"It's a promise, Rei-chan. Best friends forever!" she said as the two held hands and smiled bright smiles.

Rei-chan looked back towards the property.

"I think it's almost time for lunch, Mot-chan. C'mon, let's go!"

"Okay, lets go!"

The two made their way back towards the end of the bridge with heavy footsteps. Rei-chan then stepped on a weak board that suddenly broke under her weight with a loud SNAP. Rei-chan let out a scream as she quickly fell through. But her fall was suddenly stopped by the grasp of Mot-chan's hand. However, her little hand couldn't hold on for long. Rei-chan's hand was slipping.

Distressed and doing her best to hold on to her, she said,

"Rei-chan! Rei-chan! Give me your other hand! Hurry!"

"Mot-chan, I'm scared! I'm scared!"

"It's okay, just give me your other hand!"

Rei-chan struggled to reach out and grab Mot-chan's other hand. Mot-chan's grip was becoming less and less.

'Please, God. Oh, Please! Please! Let me grab her!' Mot-chan thought as she desperately reached out for Rei-chan's hand. Closer and closer. Their fingers were almost touching.

'Just…a…little…more.'

"Mot-chan, I can almost reach."

"Don't worry, Rei-chan! Don't worry! Just a little more!"

Just as their fingers barely touched, Mot-chan's other hand lost its grasp on Rei-chan.

"Rei-chan! No!! REI-CHAAAN!"

"Rei-chan!" Motoko yelled, quickly sitting up in the futon.

Her outstretched hand was reaching into the darkness, grasping at nothing. Realizing this, she slowly let her hand fall to her lap.

"Oh, Rei…" she said to herself as the painful memory came back to her. Laying her face in her hands, she began to cry.

Keitaro, who was already stirred by the sound of her voice a moment ago, opened his eyes to the sound of her crying.

"Mnn…Motoko? Are you okay?" He said, sitting up and reaching out for her. He held her and started to gently rub her shoulders. "What's wrong, Hon? What happened?"

Motoko just buried her head in his chest and began to cry even harder.

Keitaro lovingly held on to her as she shed tears of painful sorrow onto the bare skin of his chest. He laid down with her in his arms and continued to hold her this way for the rest of the night.

The following morning, Keitaro was leaning against the railing of the balcony, a hot cup of tea in his hand. There was a deep chill in the air and a light layer of snow covered the ground on this early December day.

'Motoko,' He thought 'she cried herself to sleep before she could tell me what happened. I wonder what caused her to wake up and start crying like that last night. When I woke up this morning, she was already gone. I asked Shinobu, but she said Motoko has some business to take care of in Tokyo after school today.' He then let out a sigh.

"What's going on, Motoko?" He said to himself, looking at the distant horizon.

In a large cemetery located near the center of Tokyo, the leafless trees sway slightly in the cold wind. We see Motoko walking through the entry gates, carrying with her flowers and incense. Her hair was tied back with a silver ribbon, letting it stream down to the middle of her back. The wind tussled her shiny black hair and caused ripples in the long flowing fabric of her dark blue scarf.

Motoko quietly walked among the stones. The shadows cast by the afternoon sun slowly grew longer. She stopped at a single stone near a tall tree. She knelt down and sat in the traditional Japanese way. She gently laid the flowers at the foot of the stone. She then lit the incense and inserted it into the holder next to the flowers. She closed her eyes and put her hands together in prayer. After a long while, she opened her eyes again and lowered her hands to her lap.

She looked at the name inscribed on the stone.

'Tachibana, Rei'

Motoko showed a little smile as she began to speak.

"Hello, Rei. I know it's been so long. I've wanted to visit you, but sadly, certain forces have prevented me from seeing you. Rei…I've missed you so much. I remember all the happy times when we used to play together. You were my best friend. We promised. Best friends forever, right?"

Her soft smile faded into a look of sorrow.

"…I'm so sorry, Rei. If I had watched where you were walking…if I had gotten you off that bridge sooner…if I was a little stronger…maybe we'd still be together now."

After wiping away a tear, Motoko gave a moment of silence.

Then she became aware of a presence near her. She turned her eyes to her right and noticed a woman leaning back against the tree. Her arms were folded and her head was tilted down. She looked about Motoko's age, had short brown hair, was slightly muscular and wore a black bodysuit with metal guards over her fists, forearms and leg shins.

Motoko, still sitting calmly, said,

"It's been a long time…Mei."

Her mean narrow eyes looked over at Motoko as her discontent frown deepened.

"You're not welcome here." The woman said.

"I've merely come to pay my respects." Motoko replied.

"You're respects aren't welcome either." She then turned her head to Motoko and lowered her brow in an expression of loathing. "How dare you come here?"

Motoko remained silent.

"Leave or I will remove you by force. You're already violating the agreement by setting foot in our territory." The woman said.

Motoko looked back to Rei's headstone.

"Very well." She said calmly, quietly.

Motoko slowly stood up. She leaned down, kissed her fingers and touched them to the headstone.

"Take care…Rei." She whispered.

Motoko turned and started back towards the gates. She stopped for a moment and looked back. The woman Mei had disappeared. Motoko then turned her head forward and continued along the path towards the gates.

In the Hinata apartments, Keitaro sits on the couch in the lobby. He stared out the front glass doors. Outside, the sun was setting. A quick gust of wind blew several stray leaves across his vision. An anxious and worrisome look across his features, he waited. The ticking of the clock seemed almost deafening, as it's sound filled the room.

Then, filling with relief and excitement, Keitaro caught sight of Motoko coming up the steps and walking toward the front door. Keitaro jumped up, ran over and opened the sliding door for her. Surprised to see him appear so quickly, she then showed him a thankful smile as she entered. After Keitaro closed the door, he looked back at her and watched her as she took off her shoes and hung her coat next to the door.

"Is everything alright, Hon? You had me a little worried. When I woke up, you were gone. And you missed breakfast." Keitaro said.

Motoko turned to him and gave him a tender look. She then leaned in and gave him a loving kiss. After a long moment, she moved in and embraced him. He lovingly held her as she rested her head on his shoulder. They stayed like this, silently, for a long time.

"Motoko…What happened?" Keitaro quietly said.

Motoko stepped back, looked into his eyes and showed him a reassuring smile.

"I'm sorry for making you worry, Anata." She said. Then she took his hand. "Come with me…and I'll tell you everything."

She led him up the stairs and into their room. She closed the door and locked it. Then they both sat down next to eachother at the kotatsu.

Motoko was silent as she tried to find the words. She stared down at her folded hands atop the table. Keitaro then reached over and gently laid his hand on hers. The feeling of her lover's warmth caused a pleasant smile in her. Her thoughts now collected, she met her lover's eyes and began.

"For centuries now, the Aoyama clan has been at odds with another clan called the Tachibana. They are masters in the art of Ninjutsu and as such they are also masters in unarmed combat. Over the years, after constant battles with the Aoyama, they have perfected an art that can effectively counter our sword techniques with the aid of special metal guards on the arms and legs.

"I am not certain how the feud between our two families began. However, it is well known that the Samurai and the Ninja have been bitter rivals for as long as history can remember. A while ago, when I was a little girl, there was a truce created between the Tachibana and Aoyama. As a gesture of good faith, the two families allowed the youngest daughters of the two families to meet and become friends. Those two children were Rei Tachibana and myself. We were both of the same age, seven years old.

"When I first met Rei, I was a little apprehensive of her, because I had been taught all my life that Tachibana were wicked and not to be trusted. They put us in a room together alone. Rei seemed very shy at first and I was a very stubborn child. So the first meeting didn't go very well. We spent a half-hour sitting at a table, not saying a word. And we sat there until our parents came to pick us up.

"The next meeting went much better. After a few minutes, I decided to get up from the table. I detached the stick from a broom that was resting in the corner and started practicing my kendo. After a moment or so, Rei got up from the table as well and started to watch me.

Then she said,

"Excuse me, but what technique is that?"

Myself, not breaking form, replied,

"It is Shin-Mei Ryu!"

"Oooh, a sword art, huh? Are you familiar with any unarmed techniques that can counter it?" She asked.

"There are none!"

"I bet you you're wrong." She said with a patient smile.

I stopped and looked at her.

"Oh, yeah? Prove it. Prove that there's a technique that can counter my Shin-Mei!"

"Okay. Hit me then." She said.

"H-Huh? You want me to hit you? But you'll be hurt."

"Uh-uh. Trust me." She said, a calm smile never leaving her face.

I turned to face her, raised my stick and performed a downward swing. To my amazement, with fast reflexes, she caught it between her crossed forearms. She then grabbed the stick, twisted it out of my hand, spun around and held its tip to my chest. With the same smile, she handed the stick back to me. She gave a sweet laugh and said,

"You see? It is possible. I really like you. I'm sure there's much we can learn from eachother, if we can be friends."

"Friends? You…you want to be friends with me?" I said.

"Of course." She said, her smile growing brighter.

She was nothing like the person I thought she would be. Nothing like the wicked, dishonorable thieves I had been told about up to that point. All I saw was this sweet, kindhearted girl standing in front of me. I dropped the stick and gave a deep bow.

"Please forgive me! I have been so rude! My name is Motoko Aoyama. Best regards."

Matching my bow she said,

"My name is Rei Tachibana. I am pleased to meet you."

Then we stood up and looked at eachother with smiles.

"Rei-chan, is it? Can you teach me that technique you just did?" I said.

"Sure! I'll show it to you, Mot-chan. I'm so glad we can be friends."

"Heh heh, me too."

We saw eachother once a week for almost a year. We had become so close. We would laugh and play together and could talk to eachother about anything. Rei had a sister named Mei who was one year older than we were. She was always gone training with the family, though. I had met her a few times, but she would never say very much to me.

One day, Rei and I managed to sneak out of the Tachibana house and go into the back property to play. We went past the bamboo trees and found our way to an old bridge that was over a rushing canal far below."

Motoko paused for a moment as the memories came back to her.

"We both went out onto the bridge and watched the water. Then, on that bridge, we promised to be best friends forever. I was so happy. I never had a best friend before. Hand in hand, we ran towards the end of the bridge to start back towards the house. As she was running in front of me, a board broke under her and she fell through. But I had her hand. I held on to her with everything I had. I told her to give me her other hand so I could pull her up."

Her voice started to crack from the tears she held back.

"I…I lost my grip on her and…she slipped out of my hand. I can still hear her scream." Single tears began to run down her cheeks. "Oh, God…I can still see her falling."

She covered her face as more tears came.

Keitaro moved behind her, put his arms around her and held her. After a while, Keitaro slowly moved his hands to hers, moved them away from her face and held them.

"You okay?" He whispered, moving up his hands and rubbing her shoulders.

"…it's…my fault…"

"What?" he said.

"Its all my fault. If only I had been stronger, I could have saved her." She said, her voice full of regret.

"You mustn't blame yourself, Motoko. You did your best. There was nothing else you could have done."

"I should have been stronger. I should've been!"

"It's not your fault."

"It is my fault! She's gone because of me!" she said, turning and looking in his eyes.

"It's not your fault."

"It is! It is!" She yelled, shaking her head in the painful anguish.

"It's not your fault."

Again Motoko looked into his calm and loving eyes. She then finally broke down and cried in his arms.

For a long time they sat there, holding eachother until she finally calmed down. Then Keitaro softly spoke.

"What happened afterward?" He said.

She took a deep breath and let out a shaky exhale.

"The Tachibana, furious over the loss of their youngest daughter, cancelled the truce and declared war. Battles ensued between our two clans for over a year, on battlefields unseen by the public eye. The war ground down to a standstill, with neither side actually winning. Since then, we have come to a 'If you don't enter our territory, we won't enter yours' agreement. Currently, the Tachibana occupy most of Tokyo and the surrounding area, whereas The Aoyama occupy all of Kyoto and its surrounding area."

Her gaze then fell to the floor.

"Today, I…I broke the agreement and entered their territory to visit Rei's grave. I'm not sure what will happen now. The Tachibana may use this as an opportunity to move against us. Regardless, I'll have to answer to my father for what I've done. But I just had to see her. I needed to see my best friend. Therefore, I have no regrets. It's been ten years since her death. I'm 18 now. Mei is 19. Mei has hated me ever since that terrible day."

"So…Mei blames you for what happened?" Keitaro said.

"She believes that I let her sister die. We've had many run-ins over the years. Each time I tried to tell her what really happened, but she just wouldn't listen. I still remember what she said during our last battle.

"It was a couple months before you came to live here with us, Keitaro. I was walking through Ginza when Mei decided to ambush me. I'm glad I had my sword with me at the time. Back and forth we fought, destroying most of the area. At the end of the battle, she pinned me back against a wall with my sword, using her arm guards.

She moved in close and said,

"You didn't even try to save her, did you? You let go of her on purpose!"

"That's not how it happened! Rei was my friend!"

"Shut up! My sister is dead because of you. You Aoyama are all alike. None of you can be trusted. All of you deserve to die!!" She said, pulling out a short blade.

I acted quickly and kicked her knee, setting her off balance. I then pushed her back and slashed her across her upper arm where she wasn't protected. She grabbed her wound as the blood ran down her arm. She was bleeding like a sieve.

"You better get that taken care of or else you'll bleed to death." I said.

"This isn't over. I may not have my family's permission to kill you yet, but someday you will feel my wrath." She said, before leaping up the walls and disappearing on the rooftops.

Keitaro was silent for a moment. He then wrapped his arms around and held her close.

"Motoko…you held this inside for so long. And you couldn't talk to anyone about it. You must have felt so alone."

"Yes…"

Her arms around him, her head on his shoulder, she turned her head and gently kissed his neck.

"I need you, Keitaro." She said quietly, longing for the comfort that only her lover can give her. "I need you now more than ever."

He moved back, touched her chin and raised her lips to his.

Their lips an inch apart,

"Tell me that you love me." She said, her voice filled with desperate yearning.

"I love you."

"How much do you love me?"

"So much, Motoko. I love you so much, sometimes I can't even describe it."

She raised her lips to his ear and whispered,

"Then take me, my love. Take me."

Their lips came together in a passionate kiss.

Keitaro raised his arms as she slowly took off his shirt. After removing her sweater in the same way, he got close and moved his nose above the skin of her shoulder and up the nape of her neck, breathing in her fragrance. It was the sweet smell of rose oil. His heartbeat now quickened, his body burning, he began to hungerly kiss her neck as he slowly pushed her down to the floor. Aroused, she ran her fingers down his back, almost clawing at his skin. Her senses raised, her body excited, she rolled him over and got on top of him, straddling him. She removed the ribbon from her hair, letting it flow freely down her shoulders.

She leaned down and began to kiss his neck as he had hers. They started to crawl towards the futon in the middle of the room while staying in the position they were in. Motoko on all fours and Keitaro like a strange crab. Both driven by desire, their minds taken over by their love-fueled craving for eachother.

Keitaro, grateful that he had forgotten to put the futon away this morning, threw aside the blanket and sheets as they made their way to the center of the mattress. After gently and sensually removing the rest of his clothes and her own, Motoko returned to her position on top of him. She took a moment to run her fingers over the surface of his muscular chest, feeling the muscles as they flexed and relaxed in her hands. Keitaro, now holding her waist, started to slowly but firmly run his hands up and down the naked skin of her hips.

She reached up and removed his glasses, placing them on the floor beyond the pillow. In his eyes, she saw his desire for her, a burning flame that was only rivaled by the one scorching within her own soul. She loves this man. She has never been more certain of anything else. Just as he loves her. So much, his heart was overflowing with the emotion. She pushed a button on a black remote laying next to the bed and the lights in the room went out.

Their shadows could be seen against the light of the window. Shadows that moved with the rhythm of their fierce love-making. For what seemed like hours, they shared in each other's essence. Their two bodies were like one. Desperately, their bodies started moving faster as they both approached the peak. Keitaro's muscles tensed up as did hers. Motoko arched her back as she let her head fall back. A pleasure filled moan escaped them both as they finally reached climax.

Spent, Motoko collapsed on top of her exhausted lover. Both panted heavily as they tried to catch their breath.

After some time had passed, Motoko, still laying on top of him, was resting her head on Keitaro's chest. Her eyes closed, a pleasant smile was formed on her lips as Keitaro gently stroked her hair. She has never felt safer than in her lover's arms. Like this, it seemed like nothing could ever harm her. His arm wrapped around her back, he desired nothing more then to keep her safe. To protect her from the woes of the world.

"Keitaro." She said softly.

"Yes, my love?" He quietly replied, still slowly stroking her silky raven hair.

"Could you…could you sing for me?"

"What would you like me to sing?"

"Something soft. Something beautiful. Can you do that?"

"Sure. Anything for you." He said.

Those last few words caused her smile to widen.

Keitaro began to softly sing. His voice was gentle and lulling, giving appropriate pauses between the poetic verses.

"Find me here…and speak to me  
I want to feel you…I need to hear you  
You are the light…that's leading me  
To the place…where I find peace…again.

You are the strength…that keeps me walking.  
You are the hope…that keeps me trusting.  
You are the light…to my soul.  
You are my purpose...you're everything.

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?  
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

You calm the storms…and you give me rest.  
You hold me in your hands…you won't let me fall.  
You steal my heart…and you take my breath away.  
Would you take me in? Take me deeper now?

And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?  
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?  
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?  
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Cause you're all I want, You're all I need  
You're everything, everything  
You're all I want you're all I need  
You're everything, everything.  
You're all I want you're all I need.  
You're everything, everything  
You're all I want you're all I need, you're everything…everything."

Keitaro moved his head down and kissed her forehead.

"So…how did I do?" He whispered.

Her eyes still closed and showing a grateful smile, she softly said,

"It was perfect."

At the Tachibana estate, located atop a corporate skyscraper in central Tokyo, the head of the Tachibana family, Rikumaru Tachibana, sits quietly at his desk. Facing the window, he stares out into the night. His hands are patiently folded. The room is large, darkened. Lit mostly by the light from the city far below.

The Tachibana family lives under the guise of a conglomerate, but most of their money comes from assassinations and industrial espionage.

He turned his chair around to his desk. His head is down. The woman in front of him is patiently waiting for a response to the words she spoke moments before. He then raised his head and looked at her.

"Mei." He said.

"Yes, Father." She said, standing at attention.

"You're telling me that the youngest daughter of the Aoyama family, Motoko, has entered our territory? Not only that. She has visited Rei's grave? Is that correct?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Hmm, this is quite troublesome." With his hand, he slowly rubbed his chin in thought. "But it also proves to be an opportunity."

"Opportunity, Father?"

"Yes. This clan has had our eyes on Kyoto for many years now. Now is our chance to finally attain it. The only thing that has always stood in our way is the Aoyamas. Those proud, arrogant samurai. They know nothing of what it means to be Ninja. To accomplish your mission, no matter what the cost. Even if it costs your own life. That is what it means to be Ninja." He said.

"Father, though that is true, what would we need with Kyoto?"

"With the Kyoto territory under our control, it would open up all of western Japan to us." He took a moment to look at his daughter, as she patiently awaited his instructions. "The Aoyamas must be removed from the picture. They are all very strong, but the weakest seems to be Motoko. Therefore we will start with her."

"My mission, Father?" She asked, eagerly.

"Eliminate Motoko Aoyama."

A smile crept over her features as she raised her hand and touched the long scar on her left arm.

"With pleasure."


	2. Marked for Death

Hey everyone. Here's chapter 2 of my story. More action in this chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimers:

Love Hina is owned and created by Ken Akamatsu

"Professional Killer" is written and performed by KMFDM

Night Shadows

Chapter II:

Marked for Death

Motoko sat patiently in the center of the Aoyama meeting room. The air felt heavy, draining, as if it were thick with feelings of anxiety and uneasiness. Or was it merely the feelings she felt within herself that were weighing so heavily upon her. She couldn't be sure.

The Aoyama estate has never been this quiet. It was an almost chilling silence that filled the house. There were no classes to be taught in the Dojos this day. No, this day an urgent family issue needs to be resolved.

Motoko continued to sit quietly. Her eyes were forward as her face showed not an ounce of emotion. A troubled look shown on Miss Hasegawa, who was standing by the door, silently awaiting the entrance of the head of the family. Hasegawa adjusted her glasses as she looked over at Motoko. A sigh of worry escaped her.

The door slid open. Hasegawa stood up straight, her body stiffening up. In walked Kenji Aoyama with slow and heavy steps. The dark expression on his face and the fiery look in his eyes spoke volumes of his mood. Without saying a word, he sat down in his usual place and locked his eyes on his daughter. After a moment, he raised his hand, made a sweeping gesture to Hasegawa, and said,

"Leave us."

With an obedient bow, she quickly left the room, closing the door behind her.

Kenji let his gaze fall for a moment, taking in a slow deep breath and letting it out in a long course sigh. Lifting his eyes back to Motoko, he began to speak calmly.

"Daughter…Have you any idea what you have done?"

Motoko gave a swallow and spoke.

"I do, Father. And I have no regrets."

"HOW COULD YOU HAVE BEEN SO FOOLISH!!?"

The sound of his loud angered voice rang in her ears and sent a tug at her heart. A single tear ran down her cheek. Trying desperately to hide the trembling of her body, she did her best to maintain her composure.

After a moment, she said,

"I only wished to visit my best friend whom I have missed dearly these long ten years."

"Well, in your selfishness, you have cost us an already shaky peace! What did you think was going to happen?" Kenji then turned his head and ran his palm from his cheek to his chin, calming down somewhat. "There is no doubt they will now come for Kyoto. This family will be forced to fight again. To protect this land from those who would use it for their own evil purposes." He then looked back at his daughter. "The damage has been done. I will decide a suitable punishment for you later. Now, we must worry about the safety of all of us. For the Tachibana are Ninja. They are sly, cunning and without honor. Assassination attempts are to be expected. There is no telling which of us they will go after first. Given, this estate is heavily fortified, but with you living out in Hinata, you leave yourself terribly vulnerable."

"But Father, I have trained long and hard. I am confident I can hold my own."

"You may be able to hold your own against Mei Tachibana, but their clan employs countless Ninja. Many of which are far deadlier than Mei. Are you ready to face ten, twenty, even thirty Ninja at once? Their ruthless tactics have cost us many Samurai. You would have no chance in an all out war."

"Even so, I still wish to fight, Father. For the honor of the Aoyama."

"You will do no such thing. You quickly forget that it was your actions that have shaken the very honor you speak of. Leave the fighting to the Aoyama Guard. For the time being, you and Keitaro will live here on the estate where you will both be safe."

Motoko gritted her teeth, holding back her protest.

"Is that clear?" He said, firmly.

"Yes, Father. It is clear."

"Good. My best guards will bring you to Hinata. Then, you and Keitaro will be escorted back here." He then turned his head towards the window, looking outside as the snow silently fell. "…You may leave."

Motoko could only comply.

Motoko calmly stood up, gave a bow and left the room. Inside she wanted to cry so badly. The look in her father's eyes as he looked at her, it cut her heart like a blade. To her, almost nothing is more painful than her father's disappointment.

As Motoko neared the entry hall of the house, she was met by her mother, Himiko. She stopped before her mother and stood there, expecting the same from her as she had received from her father. Instead, Himiko calmly folded her hands in front of her and said,

"You met with your father?"

"Yes." She dryly replied.

"And you heard what he had to say?"

"Yes."

"Good." Himiko said with a short nod.

Himiko then moved forward and took her daughter into her arms. After a moment had passed, Himiko quietly said,

"My dearest Motoko. In this life, all your actions have consequences. You have made a decision. Now you must deal with the consequences of that decision."

Motoko, her arms around her mother, grabbed the fabric of her mother's kimono, holding it in her hands as she buried her face in her mother's shoulder, soaking silent tears into the fabric.

At mid-day, Tokyo flows with the energy of the liveliness of it's citizens. Across from Tokyo Station, atop a 30 story building, stood Mei Tachibana in full battle gear. Steel gauntlets protected her fists, the tips of the fingers forming claws. They were not bulky but form fitting, allowing free movement of the fingers. Steel guards covered her forearms and leg shins. The polished metal gave off a brilliant reflective shine in the sunlight. Her sleek, black, skin-tight outfit was designed with micro-insulation to protect her from the bitter winter cold, making her immune to the unforgiving, treacherous wind. Black Kevlar armor ran over her upper torso, moving down her abdomen. The ridges in the armor were accented in the same shape as the musculature beneath it. Black utility belts were secured around her waist and thighs. Contained within their military-style pouches were all the tools she needed for her mission. Two crossed wakizashi swords were strapped across her back. The hilts were facing down as to be drawn from underneath. The visor she wore was designed with a magnification zoom mode, which she used to watch the citizens as they exited the station.

The continuous wind moved through, wildly rustling her short brown hair. Her foot resting up on the ledge, she calmly observed the activity below her. Raising her arm, she took a moment to glance at the time on the red digital readout on her inner forearm. 13:06 hours, military time. Below that was a meter, showing a bar representing the level of a certain chemical flowing through her bloodstream. The bar was down to a quarter of the total length.

She reached down to the belt on her right thigh and pulled out her MP3 player. She inserted the earphones into her ears, pressed a button and the LCD screen came to life. Clicking through the song listings, she highlighted a single song and pressed play. A devilish smile came over her as the heavy continuous beat flowed through her auditory senses. She began to nod her head as the wondrous and foreboding female voice started to sing the lyrics to the reeling sounds of electric guitars.

The lyrics got her adrenaline flowing as the beat sent her blood pumping.

'Conquer your world

Study you quietly

Count the ways, I'll do anything you say

There will be no holding back…legions of me

So cruel, longing eternally

Bittersweet possibility

A tiger on the attack, ready to bleed

Tragically yours, obey and submit to me

I will find you, wherever you hide

Got a thrill for the hunt

A skilled criminal mind

So calm, tracking your every move

Unrelenting, my conscience clear

Beyond a shadow of doubt

A force to be feared'

The last verse she said aloud to herself,

"Yours is not to ask why, yours is to do and die. Professional Killer."

At that moment, a black Mercedes pulled up in front of the station far below her. From out the station doors walked Motoko and two capable looking guards in black business suits and sunglasses following close behind. The guards studied their surroundings carefully, searching for any possible threats to their mistress.

Her grin growing ever wider, Mei pulled the earphones from her ears, wrapped them around the player and tucked it back into the pocket on her thigh. In her mind, she could still hear the song playing. She was pumped and ready to go. She immediately set her eyes on the two guards. Not one second wasted, she launched herself from the rooftop and dived towards the guards below. Mid-fall, Mei reached her arms behind and unsheathed the two short swords from the crossed scabbards fastened on her back.

She came down on the two guards hard, using them to break her fall as she buried the swords into their unaware bodies, killing them instantly. Motoko heard the activity behind her. Drawing her sword, she turned just in time to block Mei's harsh gambit of an attack.

As she held back the twin blades, Motoko's wide eyes beheld Mei's grimacing face an inch from hers. Motoko's eyes turned to the two downed guards, their blood spreading out over the cold concrete.

"Shigi…Ranmaru…"

Then she looked back to Mei.

"You Murderer! You killed them in cold blood!" Motoko yelled, her voice filled with anger and sorrow for her fallen comrades. "I will never forgive you."

Moving her face ever closer, Mei spoke.

"Death has arrived, Motoko. Your life is mine."

Knocking Mei back with her sword, Motoko created some distance between them. Mei performed a back flip and landed on her feet. Motoko raised her sword and held a solid stance.

Motoko lowered her brow, put on her battle face and said,

"Come and get it."

Meanwhile, at Hinata Sou, Keitaro walked through the dining room and into the front lobby with a snack in one hand and a study guide in the other. He flipped a page as he passed Kitsune on his left, lying on the couch taking a nap. His eyes traced a paragraph on the customs of the Yanomamo tribe of the Amazon rainforest.

As he tried to wrap his head around their strange traditions and how sustained contact with government officials, the market system, miners, missionaries, journalists, anthropologists and others has led to significant changes to their way of life, he suddenly got a bad feeling. It crept up his spine and swirled in his brain, casting out all other thoughts.

The feeling quickly became worse and seemingly more urgent, causing him to look to the East towards Tokyo.

"Something doesn't feel right." His eyes then widened as the feeling became ever clearer. "Motoko…"

Back in Tokyo, we see Mei fly backwards and slam against the concrete wall of a nearby building. Her twin blades broken, Mei let them drop from her hands. Quickly recovering, she wiped the dripping blood from the edge of her mouth. Motoko stood before Mei holding her stance, pointing her sword at her. Mei gave a look of contempt, turned her head and spit the blood from her mouth. Her visor shattered, she pulled it from her face and tossed it aside.

Motoko relaxed her hand slightly, then slowly sheathed her sword. Breathing heavily, she said,

"Stop this, Mei. There's no need for us to fight."

Mei stood up, brushed some dust from her shoulder and said,

"I agree. I just have to kill you and be done with it."

"Mei, I have no wish to draw this out any further. I don't want to risk hurting any innocent bystanders."

"Hah! Like I care about them! I've been dreaming of this for years, Motoko. Nothing can repay the damage you have done to me, save your death. How does the classic text go? Ah, yes. Thou art my solest hate."

"This is ridiculous, Mei! How many times must I tell you? I did everything I could to save Rei-"

"SHUT UP!!!!" Mei screamed in anger as she made a mad dash towards Motoko.

Motoko quickly dodged Mei's lightning fast claws, a single thrust merely scratching her cheek. Mei reached out and grabbed Motoko by her sweater. Motoko then grabbed her hand, twisted it and back-handed Mei across the face, causing her to stumble back several feet. Then Motoko grabbed her arm, pulled her back to her and gave Mei a hard knee to the stomach. Mei knelt down, holding her stomach, showing a painful expression. When Motoko came close enough, Mei showed a grin, looked up and gave Motoko an uppercut.

Motoko landed on her back hard. The stinging pain she felt on the side of her face would soon give way to swelling. She could already taste the blood in her mouth, even before she felt it drip from her lip. Mei took a few proud steps, stopped before her, and showed a taunting grin.

"The time has come, Motoko. Time to face oblivion." She said as she pulled an injector gun from a large pouch on her belt.

"What is that?" Motoko said as Mei held the gun against her arm.

"This is a little something specially developed by our Bio-Research department. It's the latest in strength and reflex enhancement. It puts me on a whole new playing field." Mei said, as she pulled the trigger and injected the serum into her bloodstream.

Mei closed her eyes and took in a deep breath as she felt the sweet rush of power flow through her body like a rip tide. She flexed her muscles and looked down at Motoko, sighting her target.

"My God, Mei. What have you done to yourself?" Motoko said, looking at her with eyes of concern.

"Not everyone is as fast and as skilled as you, Motoko. I'm just balancing the scales. This drug increases my strength and speed ten-fold."

"But Mei, at the same time, your body could be tearing itself apart."

"Oh, stop acting like you care. One more Tachibana life means nothing to you arrogant Aoyama. How many Tachibana has your clan killed in the last war? Too many!"

"No more Tachibana will die. Not if I can help it." Motoko said, getting up.

Mei leapt up into the air.

"Good. Then you'll have no problem if I kill YOU!"

With those words, Mei came down on Motoko with her fist.

Motoko dodged her fist just in time to let Mei crush the concrete beneath her to dust. With staggering speed, Mei appeared an inch from Motoko's face. With a roundhouse, she knocked Motoko to the ground. Mei then grabbed her by the neck and gave her several hard fists to the midsection. Then she threw her 30 feet away, right into the side of the Mercedes, shattering the windows.

Motoko fell to her hands and knees and spit blood onto the pavement. She then used the sheath of her sword to balance herself back on her feet.

"Very well, Mei. There's only one way we can settle this battle: With pure speed." Motoko said, forming the batoujutsu stance. She took her sheath and held it out, spacing her feet shoulder length apart.

Mei appeared in front of her with her hands on her hips in a contemptuous posture.

"Ah, Gensai Ryu. The quick-draw stance. I thought that technique died with Kawakami Gensai." Mei said, running a clawed finger along her chin.

"You forget. During the Bakumatsu, The Aoyama and Kawakami Gensai both worked to restore the Emperor to power. In return for our aid to him, Gensai passed his secret knowledge to our school. It was under the condition that it would only be taught to the highest achieving students."

"I see. You always were an over-achiever, Motoko. No matter. Let's do this."

Mei raised her gauntlets and took her stance, centering her sights on Motoko.

Motoko was as still as stone, her eyes locked on Mei. Her left hand holding her sheath, her right on the hilt of the sword, Motoko's mind became like still water. She concentrated hard. Suddenly her eyes lit up and her body glowed with the aura of her fiery chi energy.

Mei concentrated on her breathing. She tried to come up with the best strategy for attack. She tightened her closed fists as she narrowed her eyes. Mei could feel her heart beat. Faster…faster…FASTER.

Within an instant, the two disappeared, dust rising up from where they stood. There was a bright flash. A sound like thunder echoed throughout the area. After the light, Mei appeared, holding her fist out in front of her. Motoko stood behind her facing the opposite direction in an extremely low posture with her right knee bent and her left leg backward so straight that the left knee was almost touching the ground. She held her Katana sword straight out behind her.

The metal guards shattered from Mei's forearms as she keeled over in pain with a groan. Motoko stood up straight and calmly sheathed her sword. She turned her head to look at Mei.

"This fight is over, Mei. Don't worry. I used the dull side of the blade." She said.

Mei struggled through the pain throughout her midsection to turn her body so she could face Motoko.

"I thought you said you wouldn't forgive me. I murdered your kinsmen. Kill me, Motoko. Do it."

"No, Mei. Not today."

Mei showed a discontent frown with a touch of surprise, as this was not the reaction she expected.

"Heh, not killing me will be the worst mistake of your life." She said, weakly.

Motoko looked at her as if in pity.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. Good-bye, Mei."

Motoko then turned her head away and walked on. As she did, Mei closed her eyes and grinned through the pain as she started to laugh. Lifting her head to the sky, she said,

"This isn't over. I'll kill you…I'll kill you…I'll kill you…"

Not saying a word, Motoko simply walked on. Not looking back once.

Keitaro sat at his desk, unable to concentrate on the turn paper on front of him. He was still troubled by the feeling he had earlier. Without warning, his door was thrown open. Startled, Keitaro turned around to see Motoko running up to him. She grabbed him by the arm and said,

"We need to go, now!"

"What? What's going on?" He said, confused as he ran with her out the door.

"No time to explain. Come on!" She said, quickly leading him down the staircase.

She ran over to the coat hanger by the front door and tossed him his jacket. After he put it on, Motoko took him by the arm and pulled him towards the front door.

"Come on, we have to go."

Then Keitaro grabbed her arm and held her still.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on, Motoko. Now tell me!"

Motoko let out a sigh and looked up at Keitaro.

"Not an hour ago, Mei made an attempt on my life. I was able to defeat her, but there's no telling when they'll send more ninja to finish me off. Both our lives are in danger, Keitaro. So please, my love. We have to get back to the Estate where you'll be safe."

"Me? What about you?"

"Don't' worry. I'll be by your side every step of the way. I swear, I'll protect you." She said, laying a gentle hand on his face.

Keitaro laid his hand on hers.

"But, Motoko. I want to protect you as well."

Giving him a tender look, she said,

"You do, Keitaro. You protect my heart. And that's something no one else in this entire world can do."

They shared a silent moment.

"I see. Let's go then." Keitaro said, taking her by the hand.

The two ran out the front door and down the Hinata steps towards a black Mercedes waiting at the foot of the steps. After they got safely inside, the car took off, speeding towards the main road.

Keitaro looked at the broken glass.

"What happened to the glass? And why is there a big dent in the door?"

Motoko reached around and rubbed her back.

"Don't ask." She said, feeling the pain going all the way down her back.

The car tore down the main road, making its way toward the highway. The dark clouds moving in overhead brought with them the heavy snow of an early winter. The blizzard had begun, and from here it will only get worse as the two will soon see.


	3. Sacrifice

Hey, everyone. Thanks for all the reviews so far. Keep them coming. I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.

Disclaimer: Love Hina is owned and created by Ken Akamatsu.

Night Shadows

Chapter III:

Sacrifice

It's late evening. Outside the perimeter of the Aoyama Estate, the black shadows of the bare trees stand out against the overcast sky lit by city lights like warped hands, clawing up into the abyss. Shadows overlapping shadows. Threatening, menacing, yet chillingly still.

One of these shadows began to move among the others. It moved swiftly, going from silhouette to silhouette. The shadow then stopped before the high walls of the estate. Against the white of the wall, we see that the shadow is in the shape of a woman.

She gripped her clawed metal gauntlets, one after the other, moving around the fingers as she looked up at the wall's tall ledge. She was working out her plan in her head, remembering the layout of the estate from the intelligence reports she had received.

Her armor had been removed. It was too restrictive, heavy, burdensome. For this mission she needed to be light, agile and fast. Stealth and finesse were the keys to her goal.

She let her hands fall to her sides and curled her fingers.

"A Ninja cannot return until their mission is complete. Failure is not an option. Failure means death." Mei said to herself.

It is the Ninja's Creed. Words that she was made to memorize since before she could remember. Almost her entire life, she has endured endless hours of torturous training and agonizing self-discipline, willingly. All for the sake of being the best she could be, to be the finest ninja to carry the Tachibana name.

For a moment, her memories led her back to a time long ago. She was a young girl, at the tender age of 9. Even at that age, she had already gone through four years of basic ninja training. Her medium level training would not begin for another year.

It was a day in early spring on the Tachibana estate, high above the city of Tokyo. She was walking along the patio of the main house behind her instructor on her way to her next learning session. As she walked along, she looked across the courtyard and then stopped as she caught sight of Motoko and Rei playing a game of catch. Seeing them smile and laugh as they ran back and forth trying to catch one another, Mei formed a discontent frown. Her fist began to tighten as she watched them.

Why did it upset her so, to see her own sister smiling and laughing with a stranger, an outsider? Was it her distrust of the Aoyamas themselves, her discomfort seeing them treading upon the soil of her home? Or was it simpler than that? Might it have been…jealousy?

Mei overheard their cheerful voices.

"Mot-chan! Mot-chan! Pretty soon we'll be able to play at my family's home out in the country. The yard is so big and there's a bamboo forest too!"

"Wow, Rei-chan! That sounds like so much fun. I can't wait!"

Mei quickly turned her head away with a humph and caught up with her instructor.

Coming back to the here and now, Mei's hindsight had become crystal clear.

"That's right. A month later…she was gone." Then she looked up at the wall before her. "And it's all her fault for taking her from me."

She leapt up and buried her metal claws into the stone wall surface, using them to scale her way up. Once she reached the top, she cautiously peaked over. On both sides of her were surveillance cameras, slowly panning left and right. She waited for just the right moment when both were facing away from her. She then leapt over the edge with her acrobatic skills and lightly touched down in yard of the estate below. The snow gave a quiet crunch beneath her feet.

Crouching down, she stayed low, surveying the area around her. She pressed a button on the wrist of her left gauntlet and her outfit phased to white, effectively camouflaging her against the surrounding snow. She quietly made her way through the vast enclosure towards the main house. She silently passed armed guards on her left and right, taking advantage of the cover of statues as well as the many shadows produced in the courtyard at night.

Reaching a corner of the Aoyama mansion that was out of the sight of the guards, she knelt down and pulled out a scaling hook and rope. Security was indeed tight. She had snuck past almost 30 guards just to reach this point. She had to act quickly. A vigilant guard would surely be on their way to patrol this area soon.

She swung the hook around in a circle, building centrifugal force. She then released it and let it catch on the edge of the roof. Giving it a few tugs to make sure it was secured, she climbed up to the roof. She gathered up the rope, fastened it back to her belt and moved swiftly along the rooftop, keeping low and quiet as to not give away her position.

Moving along the middle of the roof, she found an air vent large enough for her to enter. The only thing standing in her way was the metal vent itself. No screws or bolts were visible. This would have posed a problem if she didn't have a few tricks up her sleeve. She reached to the back of her utility belt and pulled out a compact acetylene torch. She put on a visor to protect her eyes. With the click of a button, the flame ignited and she adjusted the flame until it was thin and burned blue-hot.

The flame cut through the vent like a hot knife through butter. When she was finished, the device out of fuel she left by the opening. It doesn't matter. By the time anyone found it, her mission would be done and she would be long gone. Wasting no time, she crawled inside, infiltrating the inner mansion.

Meanwhile, inside one of the mansion's central rooms, sat Keitaro at a cherry-oak table. His sketch-book open and a pencil in his hand, he quietly sketched a picture. As we move closer, we see that it is a picture of Motoko looking forward with a smile, charmingly propping her chin on the palm of her hand.

He spent a lot of time on her eyes, trying to make them just the right shade. He set down his pencil and leaned back, staring at the picture with a satisfied smile.

'This sketch is indeed beautiful,' He thought. 'But I don't think it can compare to the real thing.'

As he sat there, trying to keep his mind off of the obvious danger now surrounding the Aoyama family, he heard footsteps outside the room. He looked up and the door slid open to reveal the source of his artistic inspiration.

"Motoko! Any new news concerning the situation?" Keitaro said, standing up.

"No, nothing yet." She said, closing the door behind her. "The Tachibana's movements are very difficult to track. So there's no telling when or how they might attack."

"Oh, I see. How are you holding up?" He said, walking up to her and lightly laying his hands on her shoulders in an effort to comfort her.

"I…I'm still a little shaken up by what happened today. I still can't believe Mei would resort to killing in cold blood just to get to me. I've known Ranmaru and Shigi almost all my life. Ranmaru was always so funny and Shigi, he was always so sweet. Now they're gone. What has Mei become? Is she so blinded by her rage that morality and conscience no longer exist within her?"

"You sound like you know her pretty well." He said, moving behind her as he started to massage the muscles of her shoulders to help her relax.

"I guess not as well as I thought. It's just, Rei was so kind and loved unconditionally. She never thought of herself and never judged. Since they were sisters, I was hoping Mei had the same potential to be that kind of person. I guess I was wrong. Mei has let hatred and vengeance darken her soul. There might not be any coming back from that. Even so, ever since the day of the accident, I've been trying to reconcile our differences."

Keitaro was silent for a moment as he tried to find the words.

"You would still try, even though all your effort might be wasted? Even though your sympathetic words might fall on deaf ears?"

"Yes." She said without an ounce of hesitation.

"Then I say never give up, Motoko."

Motoko formed a smile and laid a tender hand on his.

"Thank you, Anata."

Up in the air shafts, Mei maneuvered her way through the small spaces until she eventually found her way out into the area above the ceilings of the house rooms. Peeking through the ceiling boards, she checked each room, searching for her prey. Coming to the area above one room, she lifted the board just a crack. There she was, her target, the goal of her mission: Motoko. She was standing in the center of the room with her lover behind her.

Mei reached into her belt and pulled out a blowgun and a dart, placing the dart into the mouth-piece.

'A poison dart should do nicely. Quiet and swift. I would much rather tear you to pieces with my bare hands, Motoko, but unfortunately, the situation has warranted such underhanded methods.' Mei thought as she situated herself to get the best possible vantage point.

She quietly slid the board over ever so much more to get a better shot. She held the blowgun in both hands and took aim on Motoko's neck, taking advantage of the fact that she is still distracted by her lover as he gently kisses her cheek.

Keitaro held Motoko close and kissed her cheek as Motoko caressed the arms wrapped around her that made her feel so safe and secure. Keitaro happened to dreamily look up at the ceiling as he began to lovingly rub his cheek against hers. Then his eyes widened as he saw a dark intruder taking aim at Motoko with a blowgun through an opening in the ceiling boards.

"Motoko! Up there!" Keitaro yelled.

Now alert, Motoko grabbed the hilt of her sword as she caught sight of Mei.

Her cover blown, Mei acted quickly and fired the dart. What she did not anticipate, however, was Keitaro grabbing Motoko and taking the dart himself.

"K-Keitaro?" Motoko said, as Keitaro held her so still.

"I said…that I wanted to…protect you." He said, quickly growing weak.

Motoko took him in her arms and held him as he started to fall.

Mei suddenly felt a tinge of guilt as she saw the scene unfold below her. Guilt? Why? Why did she feel guilty? True it was never her intention to involve an innocent bystander, but this was something different. Seeing the painful expression of sorrow on Motoko's face as she held her fading love on the floor, brought Mei a definite feeling of remorse. Mei couldn't move. Something was compelling her to stay.

Motoko immediately pressed the panic button on the wristband she had been given. Help would be on the way soon. Then she held him so close as she stared into his fading eyes.

"You fool…you damn fool!" she said, through the coming tears.

Keitaro just showed her a pleasant smile as he gently ran the backs of his fingers down the skin of her cheek.

"Motoko…" He said, growing ever weaker.

Taking his hand and holding it tight in hers, she said,

"Don't leave me. I need you. Don't go."

Keitaro just looked at her with tender eyes.

"Motoko…I love…you…"

Then his eyes closed and he became silent.

Motoko was in shock. She couldn't believe what was happening. She gently shook him,

"Keitaro? Keitaro!"

to which he didn't respond.

Her eyes looked up and down his still form, still unbelieving. Then her eyes looked up and became locked on Mei. The look in Motoko's eyes went from that of angst to bitter hatred. A darkened need for vengeance filled her.

Motoko gently laid Keitaro on the floor. An aura formed around her as her eyes began to glow red, never once breaking her gaze on the frozen Mei. Mei realized what she had done. She had awoken the bloodthirsty tiger. And that tiger had its eyes set on her.

Motoko's Aura had erupted into a flaming supernova. Motoko let out a rage filled cry as she swung her sword, sending all the power of her Chi hurtling towards Mei.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"

Mei had gotten out of the way just in time to see the flaming energy drive its way up through the ceiling boards and create a large hole in the roof.

"Holy Shit!" Mei said, as she saw the open sky through the large hole.

"MEI!!!" She heard Motoko's furious voice call from below.

Several guards finally appeared in the doorway.

"Take care of him!" Motoko said, pointing at Keitaro, before leaping up towards Mei, her sword held high and her eyes still a fiery glow.

Mei did what a ninja was trained to do in a situation like this. She retreated. When a ninja is hopelessly out-powered, their only option is to flee. Mei jumped up through the hole, dodged Motoko's devastating sword and landed on the rooftop.

Mei dropped off the roof and ran as fast as she could. She looked behind her only to see Motoko's flaming form, following close.

Mei looked at the meter on her inner forearm.

'I don't have any serum left on me, wouldn't have any time to give myself a boost anyway. I'll just have to rely on what's left in my system.' Mei thought as she fired shurikens from the semi-automatic mechanisms installed in the forearms of her gauntlets, taking down several of the countless guards moving in to tackle her.

"MEI!!" She heard from behind her, as Motoko was still following close behind, maddened by rage.

Finally, the perimeter wall had come into view. Quickly, Mei leapt over it in a single bound, using all of her leg strength, which instantly resulted in severe pain in her knee joints as she touched down on the other side. With one swing of her sword, Motoko demolished the wall and barreled through, never breaking pace. Mei ran hard. The pain in her knees was now screaming, as Motoko was still right on her heels.

Mei had reached her last resort. She pressed a red button on her left gauntlet. Within moments, countless Ninja emerged from the shadows around them. They ran towards Motoko, swarming her. But she wasn't going down so easily. Each swing of her Chi charged sword sent ninja flying by the score. Even so, they just kept coming. So much so that Motoko had lost sight of Mei. This angered her even further.

Motoko stopped, raised her sword in the air and charged it with crackling energy. She then struck it into the ground, sending out a shock-wave that incapacitated all the ninja that surrounded her. Motoko's glowing eyes carefully scanned the area around her. So many ninja were lying on the ground, groaning in pain and even more were unconscious. The cold wind blew the powdery snow along the empty streets. The horizon was lit up by the city skyline. The sound of a helicopter, flying overhead, towards the city. But there was no sign of Mei.

Realizing Mei was gone and that she had no idea which direction she went, Motoko's Aura faded as her eyes returned to normal.

As her thought patterns returned to normal, she said,

"…Keitaro."

She then dashed back towards the house. To her left and to her right, she passed several guards and house servants, rushing about. Many of which asked if she was alright, but she passed them right by, paying them no mind. She hurried through the hallways and made it back to the room where this whole incident began. Standing in the doorway, she was shocked to find the room empty.

"Ojou-sama." A voice said behind her.

She turned to see Hasegawa standing there with an urgent expression.

"Miss Hasegawa, where is Keitaro?" Motoko demanded.

"We acted quickly, my lady. He has been rushed to Kyoto General Hospital via mercy flight. He was given an injection to counteract the poison, but all it seemed to do was buy more time."

"Please take me to him."

"Of course, Ojou-sama."

In a dark, rundown part of town, located in the underbelly of Kyoto, we see a lone ninja slowly limping her way down an ally, running her hand along the filthy wall for balance. Her knees finally giving out, she fell against the wall and slid down. Putting some effort into moving herself into the sitting position, she put a hand to her side, which was bleeding.

'Oh, Mei. What have you gotten yourself into?' Mei thought, removing a med-kit from her utility belt. 'Erg, I must have caught some shrapnel from Motoko's blast through the perimeter wall. Now what do I do? I can't return home until I complete my mission, and I have no chance in hell of defeating Motoko when she's in this state. I've bit off more than I can chew, this time.'

After taking some time to mend her wound, she let her head fall back and looked up at the stars above. A stray memory came back to her of her childhood. It was a time when she and her sister played out in the yard in the summer sun. She remembered her and her sister used to laugh and play, without a care in the world. Then she remembered what Motoko said to her. Then the vision came of the two guards she killed laying dead on the cold concrete. It was at that moment that she got a good hard look at herself, at her life.

She laid her face in her clawed hands and said,

"Oh God, Rei. What have I become? What have I turned into?"


	4. Seeking Justice, Seeking Redemption

Hey everyone. Here's chap 4. Things are really building up in this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Love Hina is owned and created by Ken Akamatsu.

Night Shadows

Chapter IV:

Seeking Justice, Seeking Redemption

The rush through the hospital hallway seemed like a terrible nightmare to Motoko. Her heavy breathing and loud heartbeat sounding in her ears mixed with the smell of sterilizing cleaner and almost blinding white lights coming from every direction, it was almost too much. A hospital is a place she never wanted to have to return to, for one reason: It always means that someone she cares about is in pain. And that's something she prays will never happen again. But it does. Time and time again. This time, like all others, someone she loves deeply is here, a victim of a tragedy that happened right before her eyes, making this feeling in her heart all the more horrible.

There was one number she struggled to keep in her head. She repeated it over and over again in her mind as she ran through the corridors. 230. It was the number of the room Keitaro was in. Miss Hasegawa was struggling to keep up with her, but was steadily falling behind, despite her calls to Motoko to wait for her.

As Motoko came within view of the room she sought, she was stopped by a doctor, rushing out in front of her.

"Miss Aoyama? I'm Doctor Reiji Enomoto. Your family brought in Keitaro Urashima?"

"Yes! What's his condition, Doctor? Is he alright?!" Motoko said, catching her breath.

"Now just please calm down, Miss Aoyama. Just take a moment and try to relax." He said.

"Forget that! Tell me how he is!" She yelled, getting up in his face.

Seeing the serious expression of fear and anxiety on her face, the doctor decided to cut right to the point.

"Very well. We were able to neutralize the poison. He was lucky that he got here as soon as he did. Every minute was crucial. Unfortunately, he slipped into a coma, most likely due to the extreme stress of the poison on his body. The poison itself was a very deadly type. I still don't know how he was able to survive. A poison of that strength would have certainly killed a normal man." He said.

Taking a nervous swallow, she said,

"Keitaro…isn't exactly normal. He always did have a knack for pulling through."

"Let's hope so." He said. Then he moved aside and gestured to the door. "You can go inside now."

Motoko, showing an expression of grief, turned her eyes to the room. Aoyama Guards stood on either side of the door. As per her father's orders, there would be two guards posted outside the room and four inside the room with Keitaro on 24 hour around the clock watch.

Slowly, she stepped toward the door. The guards on either side of her gave a respectful bow. Hesitantly, she turned the knob and opened the door. Walking inside with her eyes down, she closed the door behind her. She took a deep breath and looked up at the bed in the center of the room. Her heart skipped a beat.

There lay Keitaro attached to a life support machine. A tube went from his mouth to an artificial respiration machine that continuously rose and fell. A saline IV went into his arm. Wires were attached to his chest as the screen next to him beeped in rhythm with his slow and steady heartbeat. She then looked around. A guard stood in each corner of the room; each armed with a katana sword and a .45 cal pistol.

She pulled up a chair and sat down next to Keitaro. Shedding a tear, she reached down and took his hand in both of hers. She then laid it on the side of her face as she closed her eyes. It felt so cold, so devoid of the warm tenderness she is used to feeling from it. The expression of grief on her face turned all the more painful. Shedding several more tears, she turned her face and gave the palm of his hand a long kiss, filled with yearning and sorrow.

Keeping his hand in hers, she looked up at his face. Seeing it, she took a deep breath and slowly let it out as she felt the angst suddenly flow through her. The expression on his face, it almost looked as if he were in pain. Never did she think she would be in this situation again. Hoping, praying for Keitaro to pull through. Each time taking a heavy toll on her, with this time being no different.

Softly, Motoko began to speak.

"Keitaro…I don't know if you can hear me. I hope you can. I love you so much. Keitaro, I don't think I can go on without you. Life just doesn't have any point to it without you right there by my side. The touch of your lips, the feel of your heartbeat next to mine, the sight of your sweet smile, the sound of your voice. Without you, I just can't go on. I can't live. So please, Keitaro. Please come back to me." She then wiped away a tear before continuing. "You saved my life tonight. If you hadn't protected me, I would certainly be dead right now. I vow to you here and now. I will find Mei, and she will answer for what she has done."

Motoko stood up, leaned over and gently kissed his forehead.

"I'm going to leave now, my love. But I'll be back soon. I promise." She then turned to the guards. "Protect him with your lives."

The guards stood tall and said in unison,

"Yes, Mistress!"

Motoko gave a nod before turning to the door. A guard rushed over and opened the door for her, allowing her to go through.

As she walked down the hallway toward the front lobby, Motoko caught sight of her older sister Tsuruko and her husband Jin waiting for her. It wasn't often that Motoko saw Jin. Not that she sees Tsuruko very much either, but it's always a pleasure none-the-less. You would never know it about Jin, but despite the serious air about him, he has a great sense of humor and has made Motoko laugh to the point of tears on many occasions.

Jin is well trained in the martial arts of Kung Fu and Jeet Kune Do, as well as the Chinese sword arts. He travels the world fighting oppression and injustice, with Tsuruko right there by his side. Motoko couldn't say how the two first met or how they fell in love for that matter, seeing as they are so different in personality and fighting styles, but then again, the same can be said about Motoko and Keitaro. At least where their personalities are concerned. Regardless, Tsuruko and Jin are indeed as inseparable as she and Keitaro. That can be said for sure.

Tsuruko walked up to Motoko and with a tender expression, extended her arms to her. The two then embraced tightly, a look of agony coming over Motoko as she grabbed the fabric of her sister's kimono in her hands.

After a long moment, Tsuruko began to speak.

"I was brought up to speed on his condition. You have father's assurance that Keitaro is in the most capable of hands. A specialist is being flown in from Osaka as we speak."

Motoko nodded her head and gave a sound of acknowledgement.

The two then pulled back and looked at eachother.

"Where are you going now, Motoko? Off to seek vengeance?"

Motoko's expression hardened as her gaze fell.

"Not vengeance…Justice."

"I see. Would you be needing my help, then?" Tsuruko said, laying her hands on Motoko's shoulders.

Slowly shaking her head, she said,

"No, Onee-san. This, I must do alone. But thank you."

"I see. Of course, judging by your display earlier, I highly doubt you would need any help from me." Tsuruko said, showing her pleasant smile. "Well, then. Take great care, my sister."

"Yes, thank you, Onee-san." Motoko said, giving a nod.

Motoko then turned to Jin and gave a respectful nod to which he did the same.

Motoko walked towards the main doors and exited the building. She ran down the street as swiftly as the wind, her long black hair flowing behind her. She then jumped up onto a building windowsill. Leaping from ledge to ledge, she quickly made her way to the roof. From there, she ran even faster, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, disappearing into the distance.

In the darkened ally, as rats scurry about and old newspapers slowly tumble by in the wind, we see Mei as she sits in silent solitude. She can't say how long she has been there. The minutes seem like hours and hours like days. Her body shakes. Her head hangs down. Her arms seemed heavy as they lay at her sides.

Mei took an effort to glance at the meter on her forearm. It read zero. The after-effects of the serum were setting in: The shakes, nausea, headache, erratic breathing, unsteady heartbeat. She had no more serum with her. She has never felt so weak, so vulnerable, so utterly helpless.

The sounds of footsteps come to her awareness through the swirling void of pain and vertigo. They were getting closer and closer. Mei raised her eyes to see two feet stop in front of her. Slowly, she raised her head and looked up at this person who has found her.

What she sees is Motoko staring down at her with an expressionless face. Mei took her hand and weakly pulled out her blade and rested it beside her.

Motoko unsheathed her sword and held it to Mei's throat. Though she struggled, Mei could not even lift her blade in defense.

Motoko gritted her teeth.

"I could kill you. I could kill you, right here and now." She said, lifting Mei's chin up with the tip of her sword. "You almost took the life of my love. You almost took him away from me. Now he lies in a coma! All because of YOU." Motoko lowered her brow as she looked down at the weakened Mei. "I should kill you. I should end your pathetic life, right now." Motoko pressed the blade against her throat, drawing a tiny stream of blood.

Mei closed her eyes and awaited the death-stroke that would surely befall her.

A moment passed, then she felt the blade of the sword leave her throat. She opened her eyes to see Motoko slowly sheathing her sword. Mei gave her a look, as if to say, 'I don't understand'.

"My God, Mei. Look at you. You're strung out. You can't even lift that blade you're holding." Motoko said, watching Mei as she continued to shake.

Mei then showed her teeth in a grimace. Her expression hardened as she said,

"Go ahead, gloat. Talk down to me. It's all you Aoyama are good for, you arrogant swine."

Motoko's expression lightened somewhat.

"Mei, that's not what I'm going to do." She then knelt down in front of Mei. "I want our families to be at peace. I want this grudge between you and I to end. Mei, I want to help you."

Mei felt her heartbeat strengthen as her anger grew.

"Hah! Help me? You want to help me, then leave me the hell alone!"

"Damn it, Mei! Why won't you let me in? Every time I reach out my hand, you slap it away." Motoko gave a sigh as she turned her head away. "And it's not about winning."

Mei became silent. Motoko just shook her head and sat down across from her.

A long moment had passed between them. Mei looked up at Motoko and then back at the ground. Then, in a quiet voice, Mei spoke.

"…she…opened up to you…"

"What?" Motoko said, looking up at Mei.

"Rei…she opened up to you. After I started my training, Rei closed herself off to everyone. Even me, her own sister. She would just smile and be polite. But she opened up to you, an outsider." The tone of Mei's voice became angered. "Not her family. Not her sister. Not her own flesh and blood. You. Why the fuck are you so special?!" Mei Yelled. She then put her face in her hands and began to cry. "Why? Why you and not me? You made her drift away from me!"

"Mei, you did that yourself!" Motoko yelled.

With a gasp, Mei looked up at Motoko.

"You spent all your time training and paid no attention to your own sister. Do you know how lonely she felt? Do you know what it's like to reach out to your sister and be ignored? To feel inferior?" Motoko said.

Mei's eyes widened. A tear ran down her cheek. Her gaze fell as she realized the full weight of Motoko's words.

"I…I…no. Rei was lonely? …Of course she was. How could she not have been?" Mei looked back up at Motoko. "You were able to relate to Rei's feelings, huh?" Mei then showed a tiny sympathetic smile. "You and your sister, Tsuruko?"

"Yes." Motoko said with a nod, returning the smile.

Mei strained to sit up straight.

"You mentioned a peace between our families. I don't think anything we do now is going to matter much anyway." Mei said, favoring her injured side.

"What do you mean?"

"My father wants Kyoto. And he's willing to kill every last Aoyama to get it. The way he sees it, with the Aoyama gone, it would open up Kyoto as well as all of Western Japan to the Tachibana. My father…has lost all confidence in me. I received a message on my gauntlet's readout. One hour ago, my father declared war. The Ultimatum will have arrived at the Aoyama estate by now. It states that if the Aoyama do not surrender their territories to the Tachibana within 48 hours, the lives of every man, woman and child in Kyoto will become forfeit. I'm sorry, Motoko. Kyoto will burn. Many will die." Mei said, ending in a tone of sorrow.

"Not if I can help it!" Motoko said, standing up.

"What can you do against several thousand ninja?"

"I won't have to face several thousand ninja. Just one."

"What are you talking about? Wait, you don't mean…?"

"Yes. I will challenge Rikumaru Tachibana for the sake of the lives of my family and everyone in Kyoto."

"You're insane! He'll kill you!"

"I'm willing to take that chance in order to protect the ones I love."

Mei turned her head slightly away.

"You know, that's what always annoyed me about you. Your endearing conviction and self-sacrifice." Mei looked back at Motoko. "Then again, deep down, I think that's what I've always envied about you as well."

Motoko showed a tiny smile and gave a nod.

"Mei, it's probably best that you head home now."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I've failed my mission. To return now would mean my death. That is the code of the ninja." Mei said.

"That's ridiculous! Your own family?"

Mei simply gave a nod.

Mei then gave a sigh before continuing.

"I have no home now, no family. I'm just a vagrant ninja. My father will eventually send out seekers to find me, which means I will never know rest. I'll always be on the run." Mei paused for a moment as she looked down at her shaking hands. "You should go now, Motoko. Don't worry about me. I'm a survivor. I've always managed to get by."

"Very well. Then this is good-bye. Take care of yourself, Mei." Motoko said.

She then turned and slowly started walking towards the entrance of the alley.

"Wait!" Mei said, to which Motoko stopped and looked back.

"I'm…I'm sorry…for everything. I know Rei would have wanted things to be better between us." Mei said.

Motoko stood silent for a moment. She pulled out a scroll and looked at it. She then tossed it to Mei.

Catching it, Mei looked at it and said,

"What's this?"

"You're under my protection now. Show that to any Aoyama clan member and they will take you in, no questions asked."

"I…I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. Just go to my family's estate and be safe. A car should be waiting at the entrance to the alley. Go."

Mei slowly and shakily got up. She walked up next to Motoko. She looked down the alley and saw a black Mercedes idling at the street. Then she turned back to Motoko. Looking Motoko in the eyes, Mei put out her hand to her. Without hesitation, Motoko took it.

"I know I don't deserve your kindness after all I've done to you and your clan, especially after what I did to your fiancé. But I sincerely thank you." Mei said.

Motoko showed a smile and gave a nod.

Then the two parted as Mei walked to the car. She slowly opened the door and got inside. A moment passed. Then the car pulled away from the curb and drove off.

Minutes later, we see Motoko walking the streets of Kyoto. As she passed under the dim streetlights, she reflected on tonight's events. She then stopped and looked up at the sky. She saw the countless stars as they twinkled in the vast black sea of the night sky. She stood so still as her hair gently moved in the light wind.

"Can I do it, Rei? Can I fight against such impossible odds? When I face your father, will you support me or curse me?" She said, as she continued to look up to the heavens.

After a moment or so, a thought suddenly crossed her mind, causing her to gasp.

"In all the chaos, it never even occurred to me." She said, quickly reaching into her pocket.

Back at the main lobby of the Hinata apartments, Naru nervously paces back and forth. Her mind reeling all the terrible possibilities of what could have happened to Keitaro and Motoko after they left in such a tear. Behind her sat Kaolla, Kitsune and Shinobu on the couch, all wearing expressions that mirrored Naru's.

Suddenly, the lobby phone rang, cutting through the thick fog of worry and dread that filled the room. Naru ran to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello?! Motoko?! Is that you?! Where are you? We've been worried sick. Kyoto? What are you doing th…what…oh, my God…a coma?…oh, my God…" The others became even more nervous hearing the words spoken as Naru carefully listened to the voice on the other end. "…I see…please be careful. We'll be here waiting, okay? Waiting for both of you. …Bye."

Naru then slowly set the phone down on the receiver.

Motoko moved the cell-phone she was holding away from her ear, looked at it and then pressed the 'end call' button.

Kitsune got up from the couch and ran over to Naru, whose hand was still on the phone.

"Well? Was that Motoko? What did she say? Where did her and Keitaro go in such a hurry?" Kitsune eagerly asked.

Naru looked up at her with tragic eyes.

"It's Keitaro. He was poisoned. Now he's in a coma." Naru said.

A gasp was heard from everyone else in the room.

"Will…will he be alright?" Shinobu asked.

"They don't know." Naru replied.

Returning to the hospital room, Motoko took her seat next to Keitaro's bed. She reached up and gently straightened his hair with her fingers. She then slowly ran her hand down his cheek, along the line of his chin and rested it on his chest. She gazed at his features for a long time. She then began to speak.

"Anata…I must leave again soon. There's something I must do. Countless lives are depending on me. The fact is; I am responsible for creating a terrible situation. Therefore, I am responsible for resolving it." She took his hand and gave it a tender kiss. "I will return, my love. No matter what, I promise I will return to you."

Shortly after, while waiting outside the hospital, Motoko saw one of the family cars pull up to her. Getting into the back seat, she noticed it was the same car that took Mei away from the Alley.

Fastening her seatbelt as the car pulled away, she leaned forward to talk to the driver.

"Excuse me, how is Mei? Did she make it to the estate alright?" She said.

The driver briefly looked back at her and said,

"Mistress, the woman Mei did enter my car. However, as I drove through the city, I happened to look back and noticed that she had mysteriously disappeared." The driver said.

"What?!"

"All I found in the back seat was this note addressed to you." He said, handing her the note.

Motoko eagerly took the note from his hand and read it. It said:

Motoko,

We have been at odds almost half our lives. The grudge I held against you gave my life purpose, drive. Now I feel lost. My eyes are indeed open now, thanks to you. As for my current place in this world, I have never been more uncertain. I want to thank you for your unbreakable faith in me that I have not been able to see until now. I am grateful for your offer of protection, but after some thought, I realized I would have no place with the Aoyama as there is no place for me anywhere. Now, I must go and find myself in the world. We will meet again, Motoko. And on that day, I hope we can embrace as friends.

One more thing. If you still insist on challenging my father, know this: He is Master of the Chain and Sickle. Take great care on your journey to the home of the Tachibana. Surly great dangers will await you. Good-bye.

-Mei

Motoko folded the note and held it in her hand. She then looked out the window to the city rushing by.

"God-speed, Mei. God-speed."

A little later, walking down the main hallway of the Aoyama home, Motoko can hear the loud angry voice of her father, Kenji Aoyama, echoing down the corridor as she neared the main conference room.

Stopping in the doorway, Motoko saw the three commanders of the Aoyama guard standing before their upset Master. Each commander led 1,000 samurai. All graduates of the Shin-Kami style. In light of the current situation, every last one of them has been put on red alert status.

"That arrogant bastard! How dare he make such a pompous demand. Damn you, Rikumaru!" Kenji said, crumbling the written Ultimatum in his hand.

"My liege," One commander started. "I propose a preemptive strike."

"I agree." Another said. "We attack while they are still building their forces."

Kenji just shook his head.

"No, that's exactly what they'll be expecting. It is likely we would fall right into a trap." Kenji said, throwing the paper to the floor.

The last commander then spoke.

"In the meantime, perhaps we should strengthen Kyoto's borders by placing a third of our forces on the perimeter while we come up with a sufficient strategy."

"Good idea. Send out one thousand guards to protect the perimeter." Kenji said, with a commanding wave of his hand.

"It will be done." The suggesting commander said. He then gave a bow and left the room.

"Now," Kenji said. "let us come up with a plan. I would sooner die than turn this city and its surrounding territories over to the likes of thieves and assassins."

"I have a plan." Motoko said, stepping forward.

"Yes, Daughter. Please come in." Kenji said, motioning Motoko to stand before him with his commanders.

Motoko walked over and stood before her father, giving a respectful bow.

"Motoko, in light of your actions earlier, I have chosen to overlook your previous transgression." Kenji said.

"Thank you, Father."

"Now, tell me. What is this plan you speak of?"

Motoko took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Her father and the two remaining commanders were patiently awaiting her words. She then spoke,

"It was my hand that started this fire. Therefore, I must put it out. I will go to Tokyo and challenge Rikumaru Tachibana in a dual for the lives of everyone in Kyoto. So they may be spared upon my victory."

"That's ludicrous!" Kenji rejected.

"But father-"

"I will not have my daughter marching to certain death. Even if I did agree to it and in the miniscule chance that you do defeat him, his word cannot be trusted. Ninja have no honor!"

Motoko tilted her head down, hiding her eyes behind her bangs.

"So my plan is rejected then?" She said plainly.

"Yes."

Motoko gritted her teeth upon his answer.

"You will not leave this house. You will stay here where you will be safe. Leave the decisions and fighting to myself and my lieutenants." He said, then motioning to the two men next to her. "Is that understood, Daughter?"

Motoko stood silent.

"Motoko!" Kenji yelled.

Motoko then raised her head and looked at her father.

"It is understood." She said without a hint of emotion.

She then gave a bow and left the room without saying another word.

Storming down the hallway, her angry thoughts sounded through her mind.

'There is right and there is wrong and this is definitely wrong! At this rate, the war will begin, our young soldiers will die, the innocent people of Kyoto will burn and all the while, those old men will still be talking of their 'strategy'!'

Motoko came to a window and looked out as she gave an angry sigh. Then her eyes lit up. Parked out front, she saw one of the family's black Mercedes, empty. She looked back into the house. No one was around. Then she looked back at the car and formed a devious smile.

The black Mercedes roared down the long driveway and through the front gates, taking off down the main road.

Inside, Kenji became aware of the commotion as the servants began to run back and forth. Not after long, Miss Hasegawa came to the door of the conference room and met with Kenji's wild eyes.

"Hasegawa! What is going on?!" Kenji said, walking up to her.

"Sir! Someone has taken one of the Mercedes and left the estate! We couldn't see who it was!" She said.

Kenji narrowed his eyes at her. He then looked around the room and came to a realization.

"Where is Motoko?" He asked.

"Sir, I don't know."

"FIND HER!" He demanded.

"Sir, yes sir." She said, before running out of the room.

Kenji looked back to his lieutenants.

"If she is gone, I want her found and brought back here safely. Understood?"

They stood straight and said in unison,

"Yes, my liege!"

They then left the room.

Kenji slowly turned around and sat down in his usual place. A feeling of worry came over him as he looked to the night sky outside the window.

'My dear Motoko. What are you doing?'

The black Mercedes sped down the highway, heading Eastbound. It swerved into this lane and that, moving around cars left and right.

Behind the wheel, was Motoko. The dark expression on her face was only illuminated by the fiery look in her eyes. She put her foot down on the clutch and moved the shifter into high gear. Releasing the clutch and slamming her foot back on the gas, she was thrown back in her seat as the car lunged forward, going ever faster. Nothing can stop her now. Her will of stone cannot be swayed or broken, only yielded to.

Onward she went, pushing the roaring eight cylinders to their maximum limit. Her destination: Tokyo.


	5. Battlefield

Hey everyone. Here's chapter 5. Smell of fiery battle in this chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Love Hina is owned and created by Ken Akamatsu.

Night Shadows

Chapter V:

Battlefield

Motoko's hands firmly held the steering wheel as she drove on through the black night. Her adrenaline had worn off long ago, but even so, she still keeps the needle on the speedometer high. The roar of the air rushing over the outside of the car can be heard along with the continuous hum of the engine. She was all alone on this road. The company of the other cars had disappeared about sixty miles back.

A quiet jazz song plays on the radio, filling the air with the sounds of mellow saxophones and soft piano notes. The time on the dash read 11:14pm. She had left the Kyoto City limits long ago. Now she is on one of those long stretches of road that lies between the big cities. The kind of road where there are no towns, no gas stops and no streetlights. Just the pitch-black night and the car's headlights shining only so far down the dark road.

Sometimes when you're on this type of road late at night, your eyes can play tricks on you. Making you see things that aren't there. Like a person walking along the side of the road, but as they get closer they turn out to be a tall tree stump or some such thing. The headlights seem to dim, then brighten, then dim again, but then you realize they haven't changed at all. The broken lines on the road seem to merge into one single stripe that curves and twist with the road itself.

Motoko strained her eyes to see the horizon against the night sky filled with so many stars. Her eyes drifted to the thick snow running along the side of the road. Some of it white and clean and some of it filthy with dirt and asphalt.

She looked down the road again. Her mind steadily began to wonder. Imagination can sometimes be the precursor to dreams. Off in the distance, down the road, her eyes saw something white. At the speed she was going, it was quickly growing closer. It almost looked like a girl dressed all in white. Was she seeing things? Was her mind playing tricks on her? Did she nod off without knowing it and was now dreaming?

As the girl came within clear view, Motoko quickly realized it wasn't her imagination. She was real and she was standing right in the middle of her lane. Motoko immediately jerked the wheel to the right, barely missing her as she swerved off the road and into the snow.

Motoko turned off the car and opened the door. She ran out onto the road and looked around. No one was there.

"What the hell?" She said as she strained her eyes in the dark night.

Then, as she turned around, she was met by a hard kick to her chest, sending her skidding backwards along the pavement. Sitting up and shaking her head, Motoko then looked up and saw the girl in white standing before her. She had long black hair that flowed in the light wind. On her lips was a shade of red lipstick that seemed all the more vibrant when set against her very pale white skin. The white kimono she wore had long sleeves that hid her hands from view.

As the girl took a few steps closer, she began to speak.

"So, you must be Motoko. The one Mei failed to assassinate. I am Yuki, guard of Lord Rikumaru." Her voice was sweet and non-threatening. She hardly seemed like the menacing guard Rikumaru would keep close to him.

"Nice to meet you." Motoko said, standing up. "So, Yuki. You're not going to let me pass, are you?"

"Nope." Yuki said, showing a friendly smile.

"I see. Then I have no choice then." Motoko said.

"Of course you have a choice. You can either go back and live or go forward and die. I've been given specific orders to kill you if you proceed any further." Yuki said, keeping the same smile.

"Really. That's too bad." Motoko said.

"Why's that?"

Motoko then dashed at her, drawing her sword.

"Because I will defeat anything that stands in my way!"

Yuki leapt high into the air and performed a 360 degree spin, releasing several Kunai knives from the openings of her sleeves. Motoko jumped back, quickly dodging the knives that landed in the ground at her feet.

"So, you're a Kunai throwing expert." Motoko said, sheathing her sword.

"Yup, I mastered the technique at the age of eleven." Yuki said, touching down lightly on her feet.

"Really? What was that, like two years ago?"

"Hm, hm. Actually, three." Yuki said with a giggle.

Yuki then sent several more Kunai towards Motoko to which she demonstrated her acrobatic skills in narrowly dodging them in midair. Motoko landed on her hands and flipped back onto her feet.

"You're quite nimble. I'm impressed." Yuki said, circling to Motoko's left.

"You're impressive yourself." Motoko said, mirroring Yuki's movements. "How are you able to leap so quickly but fall so slowly?"

"I am Yuki. I am light as a snowflake." She then leapt up into the air once more. "And I rain down like sleet!"

At those words, Yuki sent down even more Kunai at Motoko. Motoko unsheathed her sword and dodged as many as she could, deflecting the rest with her blade in fast, precise strokes. Motoko leapt up and quickly swiped at Yuki with her sword, but Yuki dodged each swing as she gracefully floated along the light winds.

Landing on her feet, Motoko felt irritated by the childish smile Yuki showed her, as if taunting her. Becoming impatient, Motoko held up her sword and called out to the skies above.

"Ten-Ryuu, Dragon of the Sky! I ask your help! Reach the foe that I cannot!"

The sword started to glow a bright blue. She then reached back and threw it like a boomerang at Yuki. Yuki, seeing the sword coming, quickly dodged it by spinning to the right. As Yuki shot Motoko a look as if to say 'what was that', she failed to notice the sword loop around and come back at her from behind. Then, sensing the danger behind her, Yuki said, "Huh?" She turned, pulled out two kunai and barely deflected the sword in time. If she hadn't, it would have taken her head clean off.

Yuki let out a scream as the impact of the sword knocked her down. She landed on the snow-covered ground with a hard thump.

"Owww…" Yuki said, sitting up and rubbing her back.

The spinning sword flew back to Motoko as a servant would to its master. After catching it with a quick movement of her hand, she slowly slid it back into its sheath as the glow quickly faded from the blade. Motoko walked up to Yuki, who was still recovering from the unexpected attack. Looking down at her, she said,

"So, Yuki. Are we done playing games yet? I don't want to hurt you any more than I have to, but know this: I will do whatever it takes to reach Rikumaru."

Yuki gritted her teeth as she showed a childish look of anger.

"You think you've beaten me?!" Yuki said, standing up. "I'll show you!!"

Yuki then raised her hands up in the air as a blizzard of snow formed around them. To Motoko's eyes, Yuki had completely disappeared from her vision. She looked all around. Snow filled every ounce of the surrounding air.

"Where are you?!" Motoko called out.

She then heard Yuki's voice surrounding her.

"Hahahaha! My abilities allow me to hide unseen in the falling snow. You can't see me, but I can see you clear as day!"

Motoko tried to shield her eyes from the snow that blew so hard against her face. She squinted her eyes in an attempt to see better, but it did no good.

"Hahahaha! I control the snow itself! You will never reach Lord Rikumaru!" Yuki said.

"Damn!" Motoko said to herself as the onslaught of snow grew even stronger. Motoko then stood tall and called out, "You're nothing but an insane child!"

"I am not a child!!!" Yuki's voice resented.

As if in retaliation, the blizzard of snow turned to hail. Motoko fell to her knees. The strong wind and terrible cold had weakened her, not to mention the pain from the constant hail. Motoko shivered as she felt her strength being leached away. She was freezing to death. She came to this realization as she felt her body becoming numb and her heartbeat slow.

"Ha! How's it feel, Motoko? Feeling a little cold? Has the feeling left your body? Your heartbeat slowing down yet? I'm the daughter of Yuki-Onna, the merciless Woman of the Snow. You have no choice but to give up and die! Heh, don't worry. You'll make a pretty corpse, frozen in ice. Hahahaha!"

Motoko weakly drew her sword and with her faltering breath, did her best to speak the words.

"H-h-hi-Ryuu…heed my call…bring your flames…to chase away the snowfall…"

Motoko's sword suddenly erupted into flames and surrounded her in a swirling funnel of fire that rapidly expanded, filling the area with powerful burning heat. A loud scream was heard from Yuki who suddenly appeared as the flames evaporated the ice and snow.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow…" Yuki said, showing a painful expression as she fell to her hands and knees, hot steam rising from the fabric of her kimono.

Feeling her strength return to her, Motoko rose to her feet and stood before the defeated Yuki.

"It's over, Yuki. Leave this place." Motoko said, sheathing her sword, extinguishing the flames that danced along the blade.

Yuki gave a cough. She then looked up at Motoko with an angry pout.

"You may have beaten me, Motoko," Yuki then showed a half smile, "but I promise you, the four remaining guards won't be so easy."

"Four…?" Motoko said.

Yuki then stood up and raised her hands once more.

"Long live Lord Rikumaru!" She called out, before a snow-filled gust of wind came.

Yuki disappeared in a flurry of snow. The snow-filled gust then rushed away into the distance. Motoko's eyes followed it until it vanished in the darkness. Turning her head and looking up the road, she let out a sigh and said,

"Well, one down, four to go."

She walked over to the car, got inside and pulled back onto the road, driving on towards the unknown danger that faces her.

Rikumaru sat quietly in his office, facing the city skyline of Tokyo. His hands were together in patient silence. In the middle of the office, without making a sound, a lone ninja appeared. He was carrying a scroll in his right hand. Without turning around, Rikumaru said,

"What information do you have?"

The ninja knelt down on one knee and said,

"My Lord, Yuki has failed to stop Motoko Aoyama."

"Is that so?" Rikumaru said passively.

The ninja then tossed the scroll towards Rikumaru to which he caught it in his raised hand without looking. He unrolled the scroll and read the information. He then slowly turned his chair around and stood up, still holding the opened scroll before him.

"Well, now. It would appear that little Motoko is a bit more powerful than we originally assumed. No matter, the remaining guards should be able to dispose of her." Rikumaru rolled up the scroll and set it down on the desk. Resting his hands on the desktop, he looked up at his loyal information officer. "What news have you of my daughter?"

"Sir, she has not yet been found."

"I see." Rikumaru said, slowly looking away. "She has mastered the arts of the ninja, therefore she will not likely be found any time soon. Regardless, she has failed her mission and by ninja law there is only one fate awaiting her. As much as it pains me, I must uphold the ideals of the ninja. It is our way." Rikumaru sat back down and faced the city skyline once more. "Continue your observation of Motoko. It would seem she has become a force to be reckoned with."

"Yes, My Lord." The ninja said. He gave a bow and then disappeared from the room in a puff of black smoke.

Rikumaru stared quietly into the night. A troubled look came over his face. A look he would never allow anyone to see.

'Mei…please forgive me. My hands are tied by the ideals this family has upheld for centuries, but I pray that you run far enough and fast enough to escape the fate that pursues you.'

The road before Motoko seemed darker and longer than ever. It had been 45 minutes since she had gotten back on the road. Her skin still ached from the bombardment of ice and bitter cold it had suffered earlier. She rubbed her fingers to try to relieve the soreness from the biting cold, but it didn't seem to be working.

As she looked down the long, seemingly unending road, her eyes suddenly widened as she saw a large chunk of earth heading right for her. She swerved into the lane next to her, narrowly dodging the gargantuan heap of rocky soil. She slammed on the breaks, bringing the car to a stop at an angle on the side of the road.

She got out of the car and looked around. Nothing but darkness surrounded her. Broken rocky dirt was spread out across the road. Then she felt a quaking from the ground beneath her as well as heard a rumbling noise. As the noise became clearer, she determined it to be the sound incredibly heavy footsteps. But from where?

Then, as she looked up the road, a large figure came into view. As he emerged from the night into the light of the headlights, Motoko saw that it was a huge behemoth of a man. He stood 10 feet tall, built like a brick wall with what looked like 3 inch thick cast iron gauntlets covering his hands and iron plates on his forearms. The torso of his body was covered in plate-mail armor with rivets lining the edges. The ground shook with each step he took. The landing of each foot sounded a loud Klang, most likely due to his thick iron boots. The footprints he left were at least a foot deep as he walked along.

He stopped before Motoko. She slowly looked up his gigantic form in frozen amazement. Her eyes stopping at his large round face, she saw a big smile there as he looked back down at her. He let out a deep bellowing laugh before speaking in a deep resonating voice.

"So, little lady. You must be Motoko. My name is Rokku. You musta been pretty lucky ta get past Yuki. Still, from what my master tells me, you sure are one big pain in the butt. Hah-hah!"

Motoko laid a hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Rokku. You must be the forth of Rikumaru's guards."

"Right you are, cutie."

"Please let me pass. I must see Rikumaru."

"Sorry. No can do." He said, folding his arms. He then rubbed his chin with his finger and gave a smirk as he said, "Then again, if you agree to marry me, I might consider it. Hah hah hah!"

Motoko cringed as her face contorted in disgust.

"Uh, no." She said.

"Ya sure?"

"Yeah." She said, plainly.

"Alrighty then." He said, before raising his colossal fist.

He then slammed it down towards Motoko with a loud yell. Motoko acted quickly and leapt high in the air, narrowly dodging the fist that left a 3 foot deep crater in the street. Unsheathing her sword, she came down on his head. With surprising speed, he reached up, grabbed her by the arms and threw her into the snowy ground.

Motoko slowly got up as she heard his heavy footsteps coming towards her. Luckily the thick snow took away most of the impact of the fall. As Rokku walked towards her, beating his fist into his hand, he said,

"Ya shoulda became my wife, little lady. That way, I wouldn't hafta beat you into a bloody stain on the pavement."

Motoko took her stance, holding her sword before her.

"Rokku, I'd rather roll in manure than marry you."

"Hahaha! Ya just haven't warmed up ta me yet." He said, resting his hands on his sides.

"Yeah, that's never going to happen." She said, sheathing her sword and forming the Battoujutsu stance.

'If I could take him down quickly with one blow, this fight will be over.' She thought, setting her sights on his protruding midsection.

"What's this?" He said. "One'a yer fancy sword stances?"

"You'll find out soon enough, Rokku." She said with a smirk.

Motoko then disappeared. There was a bright flash and a loud 'GONGGGG'. As Motoko appeared behind him, Rokku became still as his mind tried to comprehend what just happened.

Rokku then formed a smile and said,

"Oooo, that kinda tickled." He said, rubbing his stomach.

Motoko turned around in shock.

"What?! But how?!" She said, looking up at him as he turned to her.

"It'll take more than fancy tricks to take me down, little cutie. Hah-hah!"

She then gritted her teeth as she formed a different stance.

"Oh, what's this now?" He said, growing more amused.

"Shin-Mei Ryu! Sword of a hundred strikes!" She yelled.

Then, with incredible speed, Motoko landed one hundred sword strikes on his arms, legs and chest. She landed before him and held her sword straight as she looked up at him. He looked down at his body and then lightly brushed off his arms and shoulders.

"Hah! What was that? A hundred mosquito bites?" He said, resting his hands on his sides once more in an air of pomposity.

'Impossible!' She thought. 'There has to be a weak point somewhere! He just can't be as invulnerable as he seems!'

Now taking caution, she moved back and kept her distance while trying to come up with a game plan.

"Where ya goin', Sweetheart? I'm beginnin' ta feel lonely." He said, raising his arms.

He then slammed his fists to the earth, causing Motoko to fall down in the resulting quake. Before she could recover, Rokku barrelled forward and hit Motoko hard with his shoulder. The impact felt like a freight train hit her, which sent her skidding 40 feet through the ice and snow.

"Damn!" She said as she shakily stood up, feeling the pain going all through her body. She then looked up at Rokku. "There's gotta be a way."

Motoko then ran and started to circle Rokku. She drew her sword and called out,

"Shin-Mei Ryu, Air Blade, Third form!"

She began to swipe her sword towards Rokku as she circled him, each swipe producing a blade of air that would thrust forward and hit Rokku. Rokku endured many hits of these blades as they made contact with his arms, legs, chest and midsection, boasting,

"Hah! You're wastin' yer time, Sweetheart! Hahahaha!"

However, when a single air blade struck the middle part of his back, he yelled out in pain.

"AAAAHH!!"

Motoko immediately stopped.

'That's it! I found his weak point! That small area going down the middle of his back. That has to be it!'

She then circled behind him again and sent three more air blades to the exact same spot, each hit weakening him more and more. As his pain seemed all the more unbearable with the immediate succession of five more blades on his weak spot, he fell down to his knees, calling out,

"Stop, Stop! No more!"

He waved his hand in surrender. Motoko walked up to him as he was hunched over in pain.

"It's over, Rokku." She said.

Rokku then formed a smile.

"Ha. Maybe for me, but not for you. Three more guards are waitin' for ya. Ya ain't got a chance in hell a defeatin' em all." He mused.

He then opened a small panel on his left arm guard and pressed a few buttons. The panel then started to beep loudly. Motoko immediately figured out what it was as she saw the smile on Rokku's face grow into a sht-eating grin.

She ran fast and took cover by diving into a nearby ditch, barely escaping the incredible blast that followed. She looked out from the ditch as pieces of flaming armor fell to the ground from the air. Motoko figured Rokku had detonated himself most likely in an attempt to take her out with him.

Motoko slowly walked up to the fiery crater and looked down into it. There was nothing left. Out of respect, Motoko put her hands together and gave a silent prayer for the spirit of her perished opponent, as is the Shinto way.

She then walked from the snowy field out to the middle of the road and stopped. She took in a deep breath and let it out. Shaking off her injuries she looked on towards the east and said,

"Two down, three to go."

Hopping back into the Mercedes, she started it up, looked at the dash and saw that the fuel was down to three-quarters of a tank.

'I should have just enough to get me there.'

She then hit the clutch and put the car in gear. With the screeching of her tires she took off down the road. The roaring of the engine slowly faded as she disappeared into the distance.

Meanwhile, in Ise on the bay, a security guard watches over several new model speedboats that just arrived at the docks today. The late night is starting to take its toll on him. He lifts his hand to his mouth and gives a quiet yawn as his sleepy eyes look out over the dark bay. A light snow gently falls and gathers on the water's surface. He hears the sound of the water splashing against beams of the docks below his feet. There is a distant ringing of a buoy as it moves with the constant waves.

He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, took one out with his mouth and then lit a match. As he moved it close to the cigarette, the fire was blown out. He lit another match but that one was blown out as well. Then he thought it strange as he realized,

'Hey, wait a minute. There's no wind tonight.'

He then turned around only to see a fist coming right for his face. The guard was down for the count from the heavy hit, the cigarette still hanging from his mouth. As the camera pans up, we see a shadowy female figure standing over him.

With a smile, she said,

"Smoking is bad for your health, pal. You should consider quitting."

She then stepped over him and walked down the steps to where the boats were docked. Finding a speedboat to her liking, she hopped onto it. But as she did that, her body shuddered as she drew her hand to her side. The sudden pain reminded her of her injury.

She started the boat up and took it out onto the open water. Once she got out far enough, she eased back on the throttle until she came to a stop. She looked to the east, then to the west and then east again as if deciding which way she should go. To the west was Kumano Bay. From there, she could hop a freighter ship and get out of the country. However, to the east was Tokyo Bay.

"Damn it all."

She then turned the steering wheel left, moved the throttle to high and went east.

As the boat crashed through wave after wave, quickly approaching 50 nautical miles per hour, there was one thing that would not stop bothering her.

'…Motoko…'

Motoko looked at the clock on the radio. It had been an hour since she had defeated Rokku. She could still smell the scent of burnt flesh and molten metal. It sickened her. Trying to keep her mind off of that terrible sight, she clicked through the radio stations in search of something uplifting to listen to.

Stopping at one station, a song caught her ear. It had a nice romantic piano melody that went along with its R&B sound. The female singer sang the lyrics in a sweet but somewhat saddened voice.

'Come back to me

I'm begging you please

Come back to me

I miss you

Please come home

I miss you

Don't know where I would be without you'

As she listened on, she was becoming more and more affected by it. She was reminded of her sorrow as the tears started forming in her eyes.

"Oh, Keitaro…"

Then, without warning, a wall of fire shot up in front of the car. Unable to avoid it at her current speed, she had no choice but to drive right through it. After clearing the flames, she came to a hasty stop on the side of the road, opened the door and got out. Steam rose from the outside of the car. She looked over at the fire to see it slowly die down until it went out.

"What the hell was that?" Motoko said, as she watched the smoke rise steadily into the sky.

"Well, you can call it a preview of hell, if you want." Came a woman's voice from behind her.

Motoko turned around to see a woman about her height with long red hair and stunning green eyes. She looked about mid-20's, wore combat boots, black leather pants, black tank top with a red flame design on the front, and a long red leather trench coat. On her back, hung a steel broadsword with a red and gold handle.

The woman walked toward Motoko. She carried herself with a sort of cockiness, showing Motoko a smirk as she sized her up with her eyes. She stopped before Motoko and placed a hand on her hip, tilting her head to one side as if musing at her.

Motoko lowered her brow, becoming impatient as the woman stared at her.

Then, breaking the uncomfortable silence, Motoko said,

"And you are…?"

The woman's smirk turned to a smile as she said,

"You can call me Hotaru. I'll give you one thing, sweetheart, you sure are cute." She said in a smoky voice, looking her up and down. "It's a shame that I have to kill you, though," A devious look then formed on her face. "…Motoko."

"Rikumaru's third guard." Motoko said.

"Right you are." Hotaru said with a nod.

"So what now?"

"Well, you got two choices that I'm sure you're well aware of by now. You either go back the way you came or I make a shish kabob out of you. It's your call, sweetheart."

Motoko was silent for a moment as she looked at Hotaru. She then grabbed the hilt of her sword and said,

"Nothing will stand in my way. I will reach Rikumaru, no matter what!"

Hotaru gave a quick laugh as she turned her head with a smile. She then looked back at Motoko and said,

"Alright, but it's gonna be a shame to dirty that pretty face of yours."

Hotaru then dashed towards Motoko, grabbed the hilt of her broadsword and performed a downward chop where Motoko stood. Motoko evaded the attack through an aerial leap and landed close behind her. Hotaru turned her head and looked at Motoko as if impressed.

"So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" Hotaru said, with a grin.

Hotaru then looked down at her broadsword as it lay in the now broken asphalt. Her green eyes seemed to become brighter all of a sudden. A fire suddenly ignited and snaked its way down the blade until the sword was covered in flames.

Hotaru then spun around with her sword in full swing as she said,

"Then why don't you try THIS!"

Motoko dodged the flaming blade with a back-flip, creating some distance.

'She's fast. That sword looks heavy, but despite that, she handles it very well. It's not slowing her down at all.'

As Hotaru held the sword horizontally in front of her face, the flame reflected in her eyes as she showed a devilish grin.

"What's the matter, Motoko? Afraid of a little cat and mouse?" She then made another dash. "I'll be the CAT!"

Hotaru then performed a sideways swing. Motoko was able to block it with her blade, but the heavy impact sent her flying about 15 feet. After her rolling along the pavement came to a stop, she kicked both of her legs in the air and flipped back to her feet.

Holding her sword high, Motoko let out a battle cry and made the mad dash toward Hotaru.

"Alright! That's what I like to see. Come on! COME ON!!" Hotaru said, taunting her on.

The two began to sword fight with lightning fast speed, swinging their swords back and forth in vicious combat. The Klang of their blades echoed throughout the area. Ducking a strike here and counter-attacking there, Motoko steadily increased her speed as Hotaru did the same.

After a long time of exchanging blades, the two trapped themselves in a blade lock. Motoko gritted her teeth as she pushed as hard as she could. Hotaru showed a grin as she was slowly gaining ground. Catching her by surprise, Hotaru moved her leg behind Motoko's, pushed her down to the ground and pinned her there.

As Motoko struggled, unable to escape, Hotaru said,

"Lock down, baby. You ain't goin' nowhere."

Hotaru then slowly leaned her face closer and gave Motoko's cheek a long and seductive lick with her tongue. Motoko cringed as she felt the warm wet appendage move along her skin. Moving her head back and looking at her as if admiring her work, Hotaru said,

"It's too bad I have to kill you, honey. I would just looooove to taste more of you."

That was it. Motoko's last nerve had been officially stepped on. Motoko pushed Hotaru up as hard as she could, moved her legs up in between them and kicked Hotaru hard with both legs, sending her flying through the air. Through some acrobatic movements of her body, Hotaru moved through the air and landed in the sitting position on the hood of the Mercedes.

She nonchalantly crossed her legs, pulled out a cigarette and lit it with the flame of her blade. She took a slow drag and looked back to Motoko with a look as if to say, "And what? Was that it?"

Motoko recovered quick and made another dash towards Hotaru. Hotaru then leapt up from the hood, flicked the cigarette from her fingers in midair and came down hard on Motoko with her blade.

The two resumed their sword fight with even more vigor and ferocity than before. Faster and faster their blades crossed. Sparks began to fly. Fire started to spill in every direction. Sweat started to pour from Motoko's face. The terrible heat was becoming too much for her. Hotoru noticed Motoko's struggling.

"Hah! Are you starting to feel the burn, Motoko?" Hotaru asked, her eyes wild as her movements were becoming the same.

Finding renewed inner strength, Motoko yelled out,

"FEEL THIS!!"

Motoko struck the sword from Hotaru's hand, sending it flying into the darkness. Motoko then spun around and performed a sidekick, knocking Hotaru to the ground. Giving a groan, Hotaru sat up, brushed herself off and said,

"So, having second thoughts about going to Tokyo yet?"

"Nope." Motoko replied, pointing her sword at her.

"Hmm, I see." Hotaru said, rubbing her chin in thought.

"Give up, Hotaru. Your weapon is gone!"

Hotaru gave a short laugh as she stood up.

"That doesn't mean a thing, honey." The joints gave a pop as Hotaru moved around her fingers. "'Cause I'm just full'a surprises!"

Her hands then ignited. She raised them up and shot streams of flame toward Motoko.

Thanks to her reflexes, Motoko was able to dodge most of it, but her clothes had caught fire. She dropped to the snow and rolled around, putting out the flames. Her clothes still smoking, she looked up to see another stream of fire coming right for her. Now prepared, she was able to dodge this attack and the many that followed.

Motoko circled Hotaru, avoiding her flames as best she could. Hotaru was laughing wildly the whole time.

'Damn those flames of hers. I can't get any closer.' Motoko thought, trying to come up with some kind of game plan.

Then Motoko looked at the snow.

'That's it! What else can be used to fight against fire."

"Playtime's over, kitten. Now it's time for the _real_ burn!" Hotaru said, charging the fire in her hands as the flames grew larger and higher. Flames began to flow from her eyes as her hair started to dance with the fire.

Motoko held up her blade, took a deep breath and called out,

"Kori-Ryuu, Dragon of Ice, lend me the power of your devastating cold!"

Motoko's blade started to glow blue as ice quickly formed on it. Seeing this, Hotaru took aim and yelled, "Too late!!" She then fired an incredible stream of flames at Motoko. Seeing this, Motoko thrust her sword forward and a great stream of flowing ice erupted from her blade, holding back the bombardment of scorching heat.

The two streams pushed against eachother. Motoko and Hotaru let out a battle cry as they unleashed more and more power! The snowy fields behind Hotaru began to melt and flood into the road, while behind Motoko a wall of ice grew higher and higher.

Slowly, Hotaru's power began to wane and weaken, causing her to shed a nervous sweat. Hotaru couldn't keep this up much longer, that she was sure of. Then, in one last desperate maneuver, she pulled her flames, performed a sideways roll, dodging the stream of ice, and ran at Motoko with a short blade she pulled out from her boot.

"Take this!!!" Hotaru yelled, thrusting her blade straight for Motoko's heart.

Motoko spun around, avoiding the blade, came around and hit Hotaru from behind with the release of amazing power. The strike had left Hotaru frozen solid with a grimace of rage eternally cast across her face.

Now panting heavily, Motoko fell to her knees as she looked at the block of ice that was now Hotaru. The ice crumbled and fell away from her Katana as the glow disappeared. She closed her eyes, lifted her head to the heavens above and screamed,

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!"

She dropped her sword and fell forward on both hands. A horrible look of angst was on her face. She knew what she had done. She had taken a life. But she had no choice. She knew that taking Hotaru's life was necessary to protect her own. Even so, such deep feelings of guilt and regret filled her. It made her sick to her stomach.

Motoko then sat up and put her hands together.

"Please forgive me." She then lowered her head and said, "May this poor soul finally find peace."

After a moment of silence, she picked up her sword, put it in its sheath and walked over to the car. She paused for a moment and looked up the road. With a tone of sorrow, she said,

"Three down….two to go."

She then got in the car, started it up and drove on up the road.


	6. The Never Ending Night

Hey everyone, here's the next chapter of the story. The action will get more intense as the battles go on. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Love Hina is owned and created by Ken Akamatsu.

Night Shadows

Chapter VI:

The Never Ending Night

Motoko drove down the long road that stretched on and on through the snow covered region that lay between Kyoto and Tokyo. She had been back on the road for just over an hour now. As she looked over at the time, which was 3:59am, she began to think about her current location.

'I'm pretty sure I'm just past Fukushima. And that means I'm roughly half way to Tokyo.'

The air blowing on her face from the heater was beginning to feel hot, dry and uncomfortable. So she reached over and switched the blowers to go from the dash to the floor and then lowered the heat setting.

A quiet jazz song plays on the radio. Slow piano notes along with the gentle plucking of the cello were complemented by a sweet gentle voice that quietly sings in the background. The melody helped keep Motoko at ease, maintaining her in a calm steady mindset. As she listened, she envisioned a dimly lit, smoky nightclub. A young waitress walked back and forth, carrying several dry martinis and manhattans. On a modest stage, above the many small tables where low brow people silently sipped their gin and tonic, stood a lonely woman in a red silk dress singing a sad song into an old style microphone. She sang longingly into the mic, as if it would carry her desperate voice to a long lost lover far away in hopes that he would finally come back to her.

'…come back…'

Motoko dwelled on the thought as she was reminded of Keitaro once more.

As the song came to an end, her attention was drawn to the skies above. They were clear, not a cloud was in sight. Before her, she noticed the Moon slowly rising from the mountains on the eastern horizon. It cast its light across the sky, bringing the heavens a pleasing midnight blue. Giving a quiet sigh, Motoko began to admire the white celestial orb, taking in it's mysterious beauty and awe inspiring presence.

The moon: It can be seen as the majesty of the night, the Midnight Sun. Muse of countless philosophers, poets and artists, the moon casts its light upon everything, yet is affected by nothing. The moon, though seen night after night, can still imbue calm in the most restless of minds once looked upon. This thought occurred to Motoko as she continued to stare at it.

Lowering her eyes back to the road, she was shocked as she suddenly realized the headlights had gone out. Taking her foot off the accelerator, she fiddled with the headlight switch on the console. Nothing seemed to work. Then, without warning, the world outside the car disappeared into a void of pitch black. She slammed on the brakes until she felt the car come to a stop.

She turned the car off, grabbed her katana that lay on the passenger seat and opened the door. She stepped out of the car, half expecting some danger. Indistinguishable darkness was in all directions. No one was in sight. Even so, she began to feel a strong presence. It was close but she was unable to determine how close. She held her katana ready and took her stance as she called out to the void.

"I know you're there! You might as well show yourself!"

She heard quiet mischievous laughter begin to surround her. The thick darkness around her started to unravel, revealing the moonlit night once more. The darkness gathered in one spot, taking shape and form. The indistinguishable became clear as a figure in a black hooded cloak appeared before her. The laughter came to a stop as the figure raised its hands and threw back its hood, revealing the face of a man.

He had long black hair that was slicked back. His skin was very pale. His black eyes had within them brown irises, giving him a chilling appearance. His face was very slender, having a pronounced jaw-line and cheekbones. Though he stood still, the flowing cloak he wore moved and rustled as if it were alive, its edges reaching out and grabbing at the open air.

Motoko took a few steps forward and spoke.

"I am-"

"I am well aware who you are, Motoko Aoyama." The man interrupted in a smooth slithery voice. "My name is Kagerou." He then gave a respectful bow.

Returning the gesture, Motoko gave the slightest of nods.

"You must be His second guard." Motoko said.

"That is correct, but at this point that is only stating the obvious, my dear."

"I must see Rikumaru."

"And why is that? For what purpose do you wish to see my master?"

"I wish to negotiate."

"Hmm, my master shall not be accepting negotiations at this time."

Motoko gripped the hilt of her sword.

"He will reconsider." She said.

Kagerou cracked a smile.

"You are the one that should reconsider. I shall give you the same warning as the three before me. Turn back now or die."

Motoko turned her head for a moment in thought. She could turn back. Her body was beginning to feel the weight of the battles she had fought tonight. Numerous aches and pains made themselves known up and down her body. She did not know how much longer she could keep fighting at full strength. She could turn back and go home…but in less than 42 hours that home will be as good as gone.

With shocking speed, Motoko drew her sword and pointed it at his throat, shooting him a gaze of unbreakable will.

"Nothing will stand in my way." She said.

His eyes narrowed as his smile grew just a little wider.

"Very well. I suppose this discussion can go no further?"

"Correct." She said, still holding her stance.

Kagerou folded his arms and stood there, a gesture that puzzled Motoko for a moment. Then, catching her off guard, the fabric of his cloak shot out, grabbed her legs and took her down. She landed on her back hard. Without wasting a second, Kagerou leapt into the air and came down on Motoko with a Wakizashi sword he seemingly produced from nowhere. Motoko rolled out of the way just in time.

She snapped to her feet as he began to charge her. Motoko began to block his lightning fast sword attacks while at the same time dodging the black cloak that constantly grabbed at her ankles. Kagerou seemed to have the advantage having a wakizashi which was shorter, lighter and easier to weald, but Motoko is a master of the Katana with a speed that is unmatched by any of her peers at the Shin-Mei school. Within twelve moves, Motoko knocked the sword from his hand, turned around and performed a roundhouse kick, sending him spinning through the air. He landed on the ground rolling, eventually coming to a stop on the snow covered dead weeds of the field at the edge of the road.

On his hands and knees, he looked up at her as he wiped the blood from the side of his mouth where her foot had made contact. Refreshing her stance, Motoko slowly slid her sword back into its sheath.

"If that's all you have to offer, I suggest you retreat right now, Kagerou. I don't have time to deal with low-grade amateurs." She said, looking down at him.

"'Amateur'?" He let out a laugh as he stood up. "Actually, I have been holding back up till now. Prepare yourself. You will know the full power of the darkness that I weald!"

Motoko's eyes widened as the darkness expanded from Kagerou in all directions, swallowing the world once more in a void of black. Kagerou himself disappeared in the darkness, his form fading and melding with the dark around him. His laughter echoed as it surrounded her. She drew her sword, preparing herself for anything. She could see nothing. All was black.

She heard laughter behind her, then in front, then to the left, then right. Losing her patience, she yelled out in the darkness.

"Stop playing games and show yourself, damn you! You're nothing but a coward who hides in the shadows of life!"

His eerie voice then filled the air.

"Maybe so, but I still have the advantage. My attack could come from behind or to the side or from above. You would never know, because you see nothing. An attack from anywhere, impossible to detect or prepare for. Like now!"

At those last two words, she heard a rustling to her right and a slice across her arm.

"AH!" She called out, grabbing the fresh open wound.

Rustling behind her, a slice across her back.

"Arrg!" She yelled as the pain brought her to her knees.

A sound before her, a slice across her midsection.

"Aaah! Damn you!!" She screamed, covering the wound across her stomach as she hunched forward.

"HAHAHAHAH! See how easy it is? Without the presence of light, I have the advantage while you're as blind and defenseless as a newborn kitten. This is almost too easy." His voice sounded, surrounding her.

Motoko could feel the blood flow and become cold on her skin. She gritted her teeth in anger as his words continued.

"So _this_ is the great Motoko, Master swords-woman. Hah! Without the aid of sight, you're nothing but a pathetic whelp!"

That was it. She drew her sword and stood tall.

"This ends now, Kagerou. Now come!"

"Hah! You must be out of your pretty little mind, my dear." He mused.

Motoko closed her eyes and put all her focus on her hearing.

"Very well. If you crave death so badly, I shall deliver it!" he called.

She heard the rustling of his cloak directly in front of her.

'There it is!'

With precise timing, she effectively blocked the wakizashi sword and then immediately grabbed the hand that held it.

"Got you!" She yelled.

Without wasting another second, she held tight her Katana and called out above her.

"Light of Amaterasu, heed my call! Shine your divine light and destroy the darkness that surrounds me!!"

The blade of her sword began to glow. Blinding light suddenly shot out in all directions, ripping apart the darkness and filling the night with white burning light.

With a scream of pain, Kagerou fell to the ground. His precious cloak was now reduced to ashes. The light faded just enough to allow Motoko's form to appear. She held her sword high, like a shining beacon in the night, it's light spreading to the farthest reaches of the land.

"No! Stop! So bright! It's too bright!!" Kagerou yelled, holding up his hands to shield his eyes.

Motoko looked down at Kagerou, watching him as he cowered in fear.

"Its over, Kagerou. You are defeated. Light will always prevail over darkness." She said.

Kagerou became still for a moment. He then took a deep breath and stood up. He reached to his side and pulled out a short blade.

"Then I have no choice." He said, holding up the blade.

He then turned the blade on himself.

"What are you doing?!" Motoko yelled, reaching out.

Kagerou plunged the blade into his heart.

"No!" Motoko yelled as he weakly fell backwards.

With a sigh of sadness, she sheathed her sword, extinguishing the light. She walked over to him and knelt at his side as he lay there, his blood spreading out over the cold pavement.

"Why? Why sacrifice yourself so easily?" She said.

"This…this is the only path left for me." He said weakly, looking up into her sad eyes. "Don't look so full of sorrow, my dear. It distorts your beautiful features. This is the fate of all defeated Ninja. If not by our enemy or our own hand, it will be by the hand of our brethren. And so…I die…with no regrets."

His eyes slowly closed as his life faded into the darkness he so skillfully controlled.

Motoko stood up and looked down at his still form. She put her hands together and gave a silent prayer. She then looked to the east where the road nestled snugly between the bulky mountains.

"Four down…one to go."

She walked back to the Mercedes, got inside and continued on her journey.

Back at Hinata Sou, a somber atmosphere looms over the house. Though laying in their comfortable futons on this quiet night, none of the residents are sleeping well. Many of them toss and turn under their covers. Fears and worries filling their heads as they nervously roll from one edge of their futon to the other.

In her room, Naru lays awake as she stares up at the ceiling. Uneasily sleeping next to her are Kitsune, Shinobu and Kaolla. Finally, fed up with the frustrations of insomnia, she tossed her covers aside and walked out of the room. She descended the stairs and walked into the dimly lit kitchen. She took a carton of milk from the fridge, poured some in a glass and put the glass in the microwave to heat it up. Now, with her warm milk in hand, she sat down at the table with a deep sigh.

Her mind was still preoccupied with her nervous worries of Keitaro and Motoko. She called the Aoyama Estate a quarter after midnight. They said that Keitaro's condition hadn't improved and also that Motoko had disappeared, which worried Naru even more. They wouldn't say anything further and recommended she call back tomorrow.

The clock on the microwave read 4:35am. She took a slow sip of her warm milk. Its warmth was soothing. It tasted smooth and almost sweet. It helped to calm her down, but not by much. She thought about Shinobu and Kaolla who are obviously taking this the hardest. The sad expressions on their faces as they slept were proof enough of that.

It must be torture to them, knowing of the terrible situation that has befallen two of the members of their little family. Knowing that no matter how much they want to help them, there was absolutely nothing they could do. That horrible feeling of helplessness, that hurt them more than anything. Its like watching your best friend suffer right in front of you and though you try your hardest, you can't even reach out and touch them. That's how Naru is feeling right now: Utterly powerless. All she can do is pray. Pray that Keitaro recovers quickly and that both he and Motoko find their way home safely.

Motoko drove on. Snowy forestlands now ran on either side of the road. It won't be long now. The moon had climbed higher into the sky, still lighting the way to Tokyo in the east.

As she looked down the road, something came into view that made her feel something wasn't right. As she got closer, she saw for sure what it was. She pressed down on the brake and came to a slow stop. She got out and looked at what was before her.

The road forked into five directions. Each road had a sign pointing down it saying, 'This way to Tokyo'. Letting out a sigh of disbelief, she leaned against the side of the car as she looked at all the signs. She was dumbfounded.

"Is this some sort of joke?" She said out loud to herself.

She then shook her head and got back in the car. She looked at all of her choices. Two on the right, two on the left and one going straight in front of her.

'They can't all lead to Tokyo. This is ridiculous. Well, looking at this logically, Tokyo is to the east. The only road that goes directly east is the one in the middle that goes straight. Let's try that one.'

Motoko put the car in gear and went down the middle road. The other roads began to disappear from view as they led off into other directions. The land her road drove through seemed barren and devoid of anything, just a spanning silhouette that reached to the horizon. She drove down that road for a long time. A whole half hour had gone by until she finally saw something come into view. She slowly shook her head in disbelief as she pulled up and came to a stop.

"What the hell?"

Before her was the same fork that lead in five different directions. Same five roads, same five Tokyo signs.

"What the hell is this? This doesn't make any sense."

Letting out a huff of frustration, she decided to take the road to her immediate left. She stayed on that road for a long time. Another half hour gone. At the end of that road…can you believe it? The same fork. Motoko took another road and another. Each one took her back to the exact same spot.

Once more at the fork, she turned off the car, left the headlights on and got out. She walked in front of the car and stopped. She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"This…this has to be some kind of trick, an illusion. It's impossible! There's no way that each road leads back to the exact same place. It's a paradox! RRRG!"

She put her hands to her temples as she fell to her knees.

"Which way? Which way should I go?! One of them? None of them? Which one?!"

As she held her head in her hands, she felt the harsh tinge of frustration and futility taking over. Then suddenly, she heard a bird's song. Puzzled, she quickly looked up. There, on the road sign to the middle right road was the Nightingale. She felt her heart drop in relief as she showed a grateful smile. The Nightingale tilted its head as it looked at Motoko. It then turned around and pointed down the road behind it with its beak.

Motoko gratefully put her hands together almost on the brink of tears.

"Thank you. Thank you so much!"

The Nightingale gave a simple nod. It then flew off into the darkness. Now with renewed fervor, she got back in the car and went down the correct road.

The road she traveled cleared the thick forest and took her into wide, snowy valleys with rolling hills and frozen streams. That escapade back there had taken up way too much of her time. Almost two hours were now gone. Soon, she passed a sign on her right that said, '40 miles to Tokyo City limits'. This brought a smile to her face. Her goal was much closer now.

Then a thought occurred to her.

'Wait. There were supposed to be five guards, right? Hmm, I guess there weren't five after all.'

Suddenly the night road disappeared and gave way to a burst of daylight from all directions. The car was now driving over the sands of a vast desert. I bit used to surprises by now, she calmly brought the car to a stop. She got out of the car, shut the door with a look of annoyance and gazed at her surroundings.

Dunes of sand as far as the eye can see. An endless blue sky stretched over the barren arid land as the bright white sun shown down from above. The air was hot, she could feel it in her lungs as she breathed it in. Around her she heard the constant hiss of the grains of sand as they moved over the dunes in the constant wind.

Motoko folded her arms and leaned back against the side of the car.

"Well, you might as well come out so we can get this over with!" She said.

A moment passed. Silence. Then Motoko heard a woman's voice flow through the air as if it were the wind itself.

"Mmm, hm hm…" the voice sounded, ending in a quiet amused laugh.

Then, several feet in front of Motoko a woman appeared, stepping out from nothing as if walking out from behind an invisible curtain. She took a few steps closer, stopped and then stood there, glamorously posing as if basking in the light of her own vanity.

Motoko looked at her, sizing her up. The woman was a little taller than Motoko. Her skin appeared white and smooth like porcelain. The irises of her eyes were bright red. Those eyes narrowed at Motoko as she showed her a smile from her charcoal lips. Her silky jet-black hair ran down to the small of her back as her parted bangs came down to just below her cheekbones. She wore shiny leather stiletto boots that came up to her lower thighs. Going a little further up her thighs were black leather straps with silver buckles leading up to a garter belt around her waist. Her fingernails were long, black and sharp. Fingerless gloves ran up her arms, along with more straps securing the onyx guards that covered her forearms. Covering her torso (or barely covering it) was a shiny black leather dominatrix corset, held up by black straps that went over her shoulders. A haughty show of cleavage could be seen where the corset cradled her sizable chest. Around her neck was a black leather choker that fastened with a buckle in the back.

She was the very image of seduction, deviance, malice and beauty, all at once.

Motoko pushed herself away from the car with her behind and let her hands fall to her sides as she took a few steps closer to this mysterious woman. Standing before her, Motoko said,

"I am Motoko Aoyama of Kyoto."

The woman's smile turned to a sweet one.

"Yes, you certainly are." She then folded her arms in a seductive posture. "Following suit with your introduction, they call me Tataku. If you continue further, you will learn well why they call me that. Then again, on the other hand, if you defeat me, I will tell you my true name. So how about it, Motoko? What will it be?"

Motoko narrowed her eyes in suspicion as she studied Tataku's appearance more closely.

"Setting that aside for the moment, your appearance is most interesting, Tataku. Aside from your obvious taste in apparel, there's your skin's absence of pigment. Its evident you have the ability to create illusions, like this desert for instance and that fork in the road back there. Not to mention the fact that you haven't shown me your teeth yet, despite how many times you've smiled at me. I'm guessing you want _me_ to say it?" Motoko said, giving a smile while charmingly touching her finger to her chin.

"Mmm, hmmm." Tataku said, giving a tone of amused expectation.

"You must be a Vampire." Motoko said, giving her a point with her finger.

"You guessed right, my dear." Tataku said, finally revealing the fangs that were hidden behind her luscious black lips.

"If this were real sunlight, you'd probably be burnt to cinders by now."

"You're probably right." Tataku said with a nod.

"Now, on to the other matter." Motoko started. "I desire nothing more than to speak with Rikumaru. If you will not let me pass, I will have no choice but to defeat you."

Tataku showed a modest smile.

"Very well. Then I have no choice but to do my job. It seems such a pity, beating on a pretty, young girl like yourself." Tataku said, short swords appearing at her waist.

Motoko slowly drew her katana and took her stance. She then stood to her side and held her sword above her head, ready for combat. Tataku drew her swords and took her own stance, her right foot forward, her left hand holding the sword straight out to her side and her right holding the other sword horizontally in front of her. Tataku's head tilted down slightly as her gaze darkened.

"I don't recognize your stance. What school is it?" Motoko asked.

"It is not an art that can be found here in Japan. It is a double sword art that I learned long ago in Eastern Europe." Tataku then looked around her. "What say we go for an environment that is more fitting? All this light is beginning to make me uncomfortable."

"Suit yourself." Motoko said.

Their surroundings changed from rolling desert sands to a large darkened forest. Tall, stately trees reached up to a dark gray sky. The forest was thick with foliage and vines that ran up the sides of the thick tree trunks.

"Ah, the black forests of northern Germany bring back so many memories." Tataku said, forming a nostalgic smile.

"Well, now that you're comfortable, I hope you don't mind that we get this over with." Motoko said, growing impatient. "Are you ready?"

Tataku showed a devious smile as she replied,

"Are you?"

Tataku's form became a blur as her surprising speed took her to where Motoko was in less than a second's time. Motoko barely dodged the thrust of Tataku's swords in time. The exchanging of attacks was now underway. Motoko did the best she could to try to adapt to this western art that she was so unfamiliar with. The sword swings, style of thrusts as well as the smooth and graceful form used was completely alien to her.

Slowly but surely, Motoko learned the moves used against her and was able to develop appropriate counter attacks. Now Motoko was gaining ground as she began to push Tataku back. Tataku saw this and changed up her strategy. Tataku dropped down and performed a foot sweep at Motoko's legs. Motoko saw this and quickly jumped, avoiding it. What she could not avoid, however, was the fast roundhouse kick that came around and knocked her to the ground.

Motoko laid on her side for less than a second before evading the downward chop from Tataku's blades. Motoko rolled over and got back on her feet. Their fight continued, crossing their blades more fiercely than ever. Then, after knocking eachother back at the same time, they recovered and took their stances. Motoko caught her breath for a moment as Tataku reaffirmed her grip on her swords. Once more they dashed at eachother at full speed. The mystical speed of a vampire set against the chi fueled speed of a Shin-Mei master. They both put forth everything they had into one last strike.

Time slowed down. There was the sound of blade meeting blades, then the loud sound of shattering metal. Motoko's eyes narrowed, Tataku's widened. The broken pieces of both of Tataku's swords were floating in front of her, slowly descending to the moss and root ridden ground at their feet.

As time sped back up, so did Motoko, taking advantage of the situation by quickly spinning around and performing a backward thrust kick, knocking Tataku to the ground.

On the ground, her blades broken, Tataku shook the leaves and dirt from her face. She calmly sat up, dropped what was left of her swords and raised her hands.

"You've defeated me, Motoko. I'm impressed." Tataku said.

"You spoke of your real name. What is it? Who are you really?"

"Ah, yes. True to my word, I will tell you. My name is Illyana Russovich. I was born on February 21st, 1897 in the great city of Moscow. My father, Dimitri Russovich, was Boyar to the Czar Nicholas II. I grew up beside his daughter, the Duchess Anastasia."

"You knew Anastasia?" Motoko asked, her curiosity growing.

"Yes. Her and I were close friends. When her family was overthrown and held for execution in 1917, Anastasia and I were able to escape through a secret underground tunnel beneath the palace. We were finally able to evade our pursuers 20 miles outside of Moscow. We tried to make it to Arkhangel'sk so we could stow away on a boat headed for Norway, but we misread our map and instead found ourselves as far as the Ural Mountains of Siberia. It was January, and the winters in Siberia can be cruel and relentless. As we began to backtrack, we had stumbled across a whole new problem that was far more terrifying than the persecutors of the new Russian order." With a wave of Tataku's hand as she spoke, their surroundings changed from the dark forests of Germany to the mountainous snowy wastes of Siberia. "It all happened here as a matter of fact, in western Siberia. A pack of vampires found us and surrounded us. Skilled with the sword, I fought off as many as I could in order to protect my Lady, Anastasia. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. She died…right here on this spot. Avenging her, I killed every last one of them. I pierced the hearts and decapitated each of them as the Slavic vampire legends demanded. At the time, I hadn't realized that I had become infected from one of the vampire's bites. A short time later, I was as I am now, a vampire. Over the years that followed, my heart and soul were slowly drowned away by my grief and growing scenic views of the harsh world that had condemned my Lady and her family. Now I serve under another Czar, one worthy of my servitude just as Nicholas II was."

Motoko's expression softened. Her posture relaxed a bit as she said,

"I understand and I am sorry for what you have endured in your life. Regardless, this battle in now over, Tataku. I will meet with Rikumaru."

Tataku's expression, however, darkened as she rose to her feet.

"Oh, it's not over yet." Tataku said, forming a smile. She then said in her native Russian, "Naljubuites', Motoko!"

To Motoko's amazement, Tataku levitated up into the air. Looking down at Motoko with bad intent, she said,

"This battle is far from over!"

Tataku swooped down and grabbed Motoko by the front of her sweater. She then raised her up and slammed her down to the ground with devastating force. Motoko's sword went flying from her hand and landed in the ground not too far away. Before she could even recover, Tataku began to brutally beat Motoko with her fists.

"Now you will learn why they call me Tataku, the merciless!"

Motoko, at a disadvantage on her back, tried her best to fight back, but was ultimately overpowered by Tataku's raw strength and the ferocious impacts of her punches. Motoko struggled to maintain consciousness through the relentless beating. Tataku then lifted Motoko up and tossed her like a rag-doll.

Motoko rolled through the cold, icy snow until she came to a stop. As she laid there, every inch of her body was screaming in pain.

'If this keeps up, she will literally beat me to a bloody pulp. I have to do something. I have to make it to Tokyo. For Keitaro and everyone I love! I have only one option.'

Motoko then screamed out,

"Dragon Heart of Aka-Ryuu, please give me all of your strength in my time of need!"

At that moment, she heard a sound in her ears that drowned out everything else.

Ba-thump, Ba-thump.

It grew louder and stronger. Motoko's body grew hot. She could feel the absolute power begin to flow through her veins. Motoko's eyes glowed and burned red. Tataku appeared above her and raised her fists, about to resume her harsh beating. With incredible speed, Motoko reached up and caught both of Tataku's fists in her hands. Motoko raised up her legs and kicked Tataku's chest hard, sending her through the air and down into the hard ice and snow.

Climbing to her feet, in a state of unexpected shock, Tataku yelled,

"How?! How were you able to beat my strength?!"

"Come over here and I'll show you." Motoko said, standing up, motioning her to come closer. Motoko's very voice reverberated with fiery power, actually giving Tataku chills for the first time in almost a century.

Tataku took to the air once more and said,

"Despite your newfound strength, I still have the advantage!"

Motoko showed a smile and said,

"Don't count on it."

Flames suddenly erupted from Motoko's back. Those flames then solidified into red scaly wings. Raising her wings high, Motoko then launched herself at Tataku, her fists balled and ready. Tataku did the same, thrusting her fist forward, in a hasty gambit. However, Motoko saw this and reacted accordingly. She blocked Tataku's right fist, grabbed her wrist, pulled her close and punched her hard right in the side of the jaw.

The powerful hit sent Tataku in a tailspin to the ground below. She was able to catch herself just a few feet above the ground. Her ears were ringing. Her head was still spinning from the devastating blow. She shook her head trying to clear away the fog. Her blurry vision became crisp and her head clear. Unfortunately, this didn't happen fast enough to avoid Motoko's next attack.

Motoko appeared in front of her and gave her a hard upper right into her stomach. Tataku then keeled over in pain for a moment as Motoko stood over her, her fists clenched. Tataku then grinned wildly, grabbed both of Motoko's legs and took her down. Tataku straddled Motoko and resumed her merciless beating. But Motoko was ready this time.

After taking a few hits to the face, Motoko then grabbed both of her fists in her hands and squeezed hard, resulting in a scream of pain from Tataku. Motoko quickly lifted up her foot and kicked Tataku hard in the jaw. Tataku disoriented, Motoko then rolled her over and straddled her.

"Now for a little payback." Motoko said, the red in her eyes glowing brighter.

Motoko began the most relentless bombardment of punches she has ever given in her whole life. She was no longer capable of mercy or self-control. She simply surrendered herself to the dragon energy flowing within her. Despite Tataku's pleas, Motoko just kept on going. Punch after punch, the loud impacts echoing throughout the land. An insane smile of enjoyment was painted across Motoko's face.

You see, though the power of the dragon is strong, it can also drive those who invoke it into a violent mad rage. Their sanity is clouded by the raw power flowing within them.

Tataku's blood flew and spattered onto the snow around them. Now fending for her very life, Tataku made one last desperate attempt to free herself from what has now become a raging madwoman. Using the little power she had left, Tataku reached out with vampire speed and grabbed Motoko's wrists. She the lifted her knees and flipped Motoko over onto the snow behind them.

She now straddled Motoko once more and held her arms at her sides. Even so, Motoko still showed her a wild grin of excitement. This grin caused Tataku's face to contort in displeasure.

"You think this is funny, you insane girl?!"

Motoko simply burst out in psychotic laughter,

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

"I've lived for far too long to be defeated by the likes of you!" Tataku yelled.

Tataku then let go of Motoko's wrists, grabbed her by the shoulders and sank her teeth into her throat. As she drank, Motoko went into an even greater rage. Motoko acted quickly as she felt Tataku growing stronger. Motoko reached in and grabbed Tataku's shoulder. She then lifted her up and with her other hand she punched into the center of Tataku's chest cavity.

Motoko held Tataku's beating heart in her hand. She gave it a squeeze, causing Tataku to release her teeth from Motoko's neck and take in a painful gasp. Then Tataku let out a terrible deafening scream as Motoko gripped her heart hard, twisted it and ripped it from her chest.

Motoko then calmly pushed Tataku over onto her back, her heart still in her hand. A look of helpless shock was on Tataku's face as she struggled to continue to breathe. Motoko looked over at her katana, sticking up from the ground next to her. She grabbed it and then stood above Tataku, her sword held high. Tataku, now unable to speak, reached up her hand as if pleading for her life.

Without even a flinch, Motoko performed a downward chop, decapitating Tataku. Motoko knelt down, grabbed Tataku's hand and placed her heart in it.

"Here's to your 'Slavic Legend'." Motoko said, giving a tone of satisfaction.

Its job now finished, the fiery energy of the Dragon Heart then left Motoko in a blaze that dissipated in all directions. Her red wings disappeared, leaving two holes in the back of her sweater. She fell to her knees, now feeling the pull of exhaustion on her body. She slowly slid her katana back into its sheath at her side. Looking over at Tataku's still form, Motoko came to the full realization of what had happened. She then looked down at her dripping bloody hands.

"Oh, God. What have I done?" She said. "I had forgotten that the power of the Dragon Heart can bring with it such terrible madness. I thought I had a strong enough will to keep my head straight, but I guess I don't."

Motoko then noticed a sizzling sound coming from Tataku. Looking over, Motoko saw Tataku's body steam until it reduced itself to a pile of gray ash. The world around her began to warp and change. The spell now broken, the snowy mountains of Siberia dissolved back into the long dark highway, with the starry sky stretched out above it.

Motoko knelt down beside what was Tataku. She folded her hands as she looked down at the ashes in remorse.

"Please forgive me. I pray that now, you and Anastasia may finally be reunited. Dosvidanya, Illyana Russovich."

She then stood up and looked to the east. A glow could be seen on the horizon, a prelude to the coming dawn. The lights of Tokyo tower shown in the distance. Surrounding it was a twinkling sea of city lights.

Tokyo. There was now nothing standing in Motoko's way.

Rikumaru stood at his wide office window, his hands patiently folded behind him. The sky was now blue, the horizon brilliantly painted in hues of red, orange and yellow. The ninja scout returned, appearing in the center of the room, holding another scroll.

"What news have you?" Rikumaru said, still looking out the window.

The ninja knelt down on one knee and said,

"My Lord, both Kagerou and Tataku have fallen."

Rikumaru slowly turned around and looked at the lone ninja with eyes of discontent. The ninja then tossed the scroll to Rikumaru's hand. He unrolled it and read it.

"I see. 'The Dragon's Heart'." He then rolled it back up and tossed it on his desk. He slumped down as he sat in his chair. Somberly lowering his head, he quietly said, "Good-bye, my dear Illyana. You've served me more loyally than anyone else." He then looked up at the ninja.

"My Lord," The ninja said, rising to his feet. "Should I notify the Generals to send out their soldiers to meet Motoko?"

Rikumaru was silent for a moment as he turned his chair to look back out the window. He then looked back to his loyal scout who was awaiting his master's orders.

"No." Rikumaru said plainly.

"Sir?" The ninja said, confused.

"No one will raise a hand against her. I have decided to hear her out. She has now gained my undivided attention. She has earned it after all, taking out my five best guards. When she arrives, show her up to my office and treat her with the utmost hospitality."

The ninja knelt down and gave a deep bow.

"Yes, my Lord. It will be done."

The ninja then disappeared in puff of black smoke. Retaining his solid composure, Rikumaru stood up from his chair and rested his hands on his desk as he leaned forward.

At the foot of the Tachibana building stood Motoko in front of her black Mercedes S-Class sedan. The tank was almost dry. She feels lucky that it even made it here at all on the amount of fuel it had. She reached her hand over and lightly patted the edge of the hood.

"Rest well, my friend and thank you. You did a good job."

She then turned her eyes up to the very top of the Tachibana tower. Yellow sunlight peeked between the skyscrapers and shown on Motoko's face. The sunrise has come, bringing an end to a seemingly endless night.

"Rikumaru is indeed a powerful man. He desires to control all of Japan and sets out to destroy all that stands in his way. Rikumaru Tachibana…you are the man that I seek." Motoko said.

In his office, Rikumaru calmly turns his head and says,

"Then come…Motoko Aoyama."


	7. Daybreak

Hey everyone. Sorry for the long wait. Phew, Night Shadows is finally finished. I have to say, out of all the stories I've written in the saga so far, I enjoyed writing this one the most. I hope you all enjoyed it too and the fine conclusion I've cooked up :) Thanks for all the great reviews! Arigato gozaimasu!

Disclaimer: Love Hina is owned and created by Ken Akamatsu.

Night Shadows

Chapter VII:

Daybreak

The light from the rising sun shimmered as it reflected off the many windows of the Tachibana Building. On this cold morning, Motoko could see her breath form white clouds as she breathed heavily while walking in full stride toward the building's main entrance. Her mind was focused on nothing but her goal: To negotiate for the thousands of lives living in the Kyoto area.

As Motoko entered the main vestibule, she thought it strange that she was not met by a hostile offensive consisting of a hundred cold-blooded, heavily armed ninjas. Instead, she was greeted by the friendly smile of a young woman in business attire standing before her. She had long black hair that was tied back in a ponytail. Her bangs came down and lined her thin brows perfectly. Her narrow eyes were framed by circular lens glasses.

'She reminds me of someone…' Motoko thought as she stopped before her.

The woman gave a bow and said,

"Welcome to our place of business."

As a show of diplomacy and respect, Motoko returned the bow.

The woman continued,

"My name is Saki Kitagawa. I am Lord Rikumaru's personal assistant. You are Motoko Aoyama, correct? My master has been expecting you."

"Has he."

"Yes. If you will follow me, I will escort you directly to his office." Kitagawa said, as she motioned Motoko to follow her.

"Thank you very much." Motoko said, as they both started towards the elevators.

Motoko was not expecting such a warm welcome, but she decided to go along with it. At the same time, she kept her guard up, just in case. As they walked, Motoko took a good look at Miss Kitagawa. From the way she dressed and wore her hair to her glasses and kind manners,

'They're almost exactly alike. She and Miss Hasegawa should get together and do karaoke sometime.' Motoko thought as they both stepped onto the elevator.

Miss Kitagawa took out a key, turned it in the elevator panel and pressed the button for the Executive Office on the top floor. The doors closed and up they went.

As the numbers above the door started to count up, Miss Kitagawa turned to Motoko and said,

"Will you be requiring anything, Miss Aoyama? Tea? Coffee? Some breakfast perhaps? I'd imagine your journey here was a long one. Surely you must be hungry."

Motoko simply gave a polite nod and said,

"Thank you, no. I'm perfectly fine."

"Very well. If you change your mind, please don't hesitate to let me know." Miss Kitagawa said with a short nod and a smile before turning back to the doors.

After a minute or so, the elevator came to a stop at its destination. With a ding, the doors opened.

"Right this way." Miss Kitagawa said as Motoko followed her into the incredibly large room.

As they walked, Motoko noticed the walls of the room were covered with countless weapons of many types from all over the world. Decorative swords of many colors and valuable metals hung on display. Halberds, broadswords and claymores from all over Europe were also displayed.

Many suits of armor stood in front of the walls of many different designs and nations. Splendid suits of Japanese armor were lined up, their designs going back to the feudal era. Medieval European armors of French, English and German design, each with their own set of specialized gauntlets. Some with spikes, others with blades attached, and still others with razor sharp edges at the tips of the fingers.

From any point of view, this would seem a room that pays great homage to War itself with its many machinations on display.

Arriving at the very end of the room, the two stopped in front of a large black marble desk. Tall plate glass windows stretched the width of the room behind it. The black leather chair behind the desk faced these windows. Miss Kitagawa gave a deep bow towards the chair and said,

"My Lord, I have done as you asked."

A voice replied from behind the chair that said,

"Thank you, Miss Kitagawa. That will be all for now."

Miss Kitagawa gave another deep bow and said, "Yes, My Lord." before turning and starting back towards the elevator.

Once she was gone, the chair slowly turned around, finally revealing Rikumaru Tachibana. Motoko took a moment to look him over. He had black hair that was slicked back of a length that came down to just above his shoulders. His eyes were narrow and vicious looking. He wore a black Chinese silk vest, the fabric giving a slight shine in the light of the room. Over that, was a long black leather trench coat. Up and down the coat were beautiful Chinese dragon designs that were embroidered into the leather itself. She couldn't be certain of his build because of the coat, but she determined him to be of medium muscular build.

Facing Motoko, he then leaned back in his chair and patiently folded his hands in front of him. He lowered his brow and showed a smile adding a certain dark charm to his appearance.

"Miss Motoko Aoyama, youngest daughter of House Aoyama. It is an honor to finally meet you. I am Rikumaru Tachibana. Welcome to my house." He then stood up from his chair and began to walk around his desk. "Though you spent much time with my daughter Rei, you and I had never actually met. It's a pity we have to meet for the first time under these…circumstances." He then stopped in front of his desk and faced Motoko. "You have defeated my five elite guards in order to stand here before me. That alone has gained my undivided attention as well as my respect. But keep in mind, you are standing here right now only because I have decided to hear you out. Otherwise you would never have made it past the front door. You have traveled far, endured battle after battle. This I know for a fact. What I do not know is why. What is it that you so desperately wish to speak with me about?"

Motoko gave a deep respectful bow before proceeding.

"Tachibana-San, I have come to plead for the lives of all those who live in the Kyoto area. I am willing to negotiate on behalf of House Aoyama."

"An ultimatum is an ultimatum, my dear, and as such it is not negotiable. You spared the life of my daughter, Mei, whose throat was at the very tip of your blade. For that I am grateful. However, I am prepared to do anything to gain control of the Kyoto area. I'm certain Mei understands that completely."

"Please! Just hear me out!" Motoko cried, a desperate look now showing through in her eyes.

Rikumaru let out a slow sigh as he folded his arms and turned to the windows behind him. After a long moment he turned back to Motoko.

"Alright. What did you have in mind, Miss Aoyama?"

"A proposition."

"A proposition?"

"Yes. I propose a duel. If I win, you will withdraw your plans for Kyoto and the truce will be reinstated."

"And if I win?"

"All of Kyoto as well as its surrounding areas will be yours. Not a single Aoyama will raise their blade against you. You have my word."

Rikumaru rubbed his chin and took a moment to consider as his eyes turned to his seemingly endless wall of ancient weapons. He then looked to Motoko.

"Clever. You certainly are your father's daughter. Either way, the lives of the people will be spared without the spilling of a single drop of blood. Except for your own, of course. Still, putting your life at risk for the lives of thousands of people whom you've never met. Such a noble and virtuous trait, I'm touched." A smile then crept over his features. "Very well. As absurd as your proposal is, I accept. Under one condition, though."

"Condition?"

"I decide the terms." He said, forming a smile.

Motoko didn't like this, she knew he was up to something. However, at the same time thousands of lives are hanging in the balance. After a moment of internal deliberation and an uneasy sigh, she decided to agree.

"Alright. What are your terms?" She said, folding her arms.

"Firstly, the duel will take place above us in the central courtyard of my private estate. Secondly, the duel itself will consist of two possible phases. The first phase will be a fight of unarmed combat. Any unarmed martial art is allowed. If both fighters survive a full five minutes, the duel will move into the second phase: Armed combat in which any bladed weapon is permitted. And finally, a loss will be determined by either death or incapacitation. Do you agree to these conditions, Motoko Aoyama?"

Motoko turned her head away and gave it some thought for a quick second. She tried to figure if any of the conditions would put her at a disadvantage. Unarmed combat was not her strong suit. She knew basic Karate and the Jeet Kun Do Keitaro had taught her. But that knowledge was not nearly as advanced or effective as her skill with the Katana. Not to mention of course that the Tachibana are experts in unarmed combat and are also deeply seasoned in unarmed blade countering techniques. Given those facts, she didn't want to agree to the terms, but if she wanted this chance to save the lives of everyone in Kyoto, she had to. She looked back to Rikumaru and said,

"Yes, I agree."

"Excellent." Rikumaru said, the charming smile returning to his features. "Please follow me." He then motioned to the far corner of the room. He led her to an elevator at the edge of the wide plate glass windows. "This is my private elevator. It will take us up to my estate." He pressed the button and the reflective silver doors opened. He then gestured his hand inside the open elevator. "After you."

After a short pause, she gave a respectful nod and walked into the elevator with Rikumaru following behind her. Once inside, Rikumaru took out a key, turned it in the panel and pressed the Roof button. The doors then closed and the elevator went into motion. As they went up, Rikumaru, attempting light conversation, said,

"This is now the only access to my estate above us. The normal elevator used to go all the way up. I think you should know that, having been here before."

"Yes, I remember. Now it seems like it was so long ago."

"Hmm, yes. Much as happened since those days, as we both well know."

A ding was heard and the doors opened to the spacious Tachibana Estate.

It was just as beautiful as when she first saw it over ten years ago. Before them, a splendid traditionally styled Japanese mansion, reminiscent of those residences used by the Daimyo of feudal Japan. The very large courtyard in front of it contained white stone paths, coy ponds with elegant wooden bridges leading over them and stone gardens with sizable jet black rocks and drawn lines radiating out in the sand surrounding them. Sakura trees were spread throughout as well as beautifully carved stone statues of Okinawan Shiisa lions. In the center of the courtyard was a large stone circular stage, most likely used for fighting matches. The pure blue sky stretched out above all of this with bright beams of yellow sunlight shining in from the east, casting long shadows across the courtyard.

Motoko was simply amazed that all of this could exist atop a corporate skyscraper. It had never really occurred to her when she was young, but now she was simply in awe.

Rikumaru led her down the white stone path towards the stage that lay just ahead. As they walked, Motoko felt a brief tinge of nervousness and maybe even a little fear, mostly due to the fact that she was not 100 sure that she would survive this battle. However, those doubts quickly disappeared as her strong resolve returned to her, thinking of all the people back in Kyoto who were depending on her winning this duel.

They climbed the short steps, walked onto the stage and took their places opposite each other. Their surroundings seemed oddly quiet to Motoko. Then she quickly remembered that not too many sounds could climb to this altitude. The wind that moved her hair felt icy and chilling against her body. The air that moved through the cuts and slashes in her sweater and jeans felt especially cold.

Rikumaru calmly took off his coat and tossed it to the far edge of the stage. He then tied his hair back into a short ponytail. The muscular definition of his arms was shown off by his sleeveless vest. Motoko could see that he was in much better shape than he first appeared. He moved around his shoulders and arms, loosening the muscles. Motoko pushed up her sleeves and also loosened her muscles and moved around her joints. She had to put a little more effort into warming up, since the exhaustion of the long night of battles has more than taken its toll.

At the edges of the stage, ninjas appeared to their left and to their right in a puff of smoke.

Gesturing his hands to them, Rikumaru said,

"These two will serve as the judges of the match. I assure you, they are honest and trustworthy."

'How 'honest and trustworthy' can ninjas, who have no honor, possibly be?' Motoko thought, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"I ask that you hand over your sword to the judges until the time comes to use it." He then formed a mocking smile. "_If_ you make it that long."

Motoko's expression hardened.

"In five minutes, that sword _will_ return to my hand." Motoko said, as she handed over her precious katana.

"We shall see." Rikumaru said.

The judges then handed them both a pair of Tachibana specialized gauntlets. They both slipped them on and fastened them tight. Each moved their fingers to be sure of the proper fit. They then turned and faced each other. Rikumaru raised his arms and lowered into the Long Fist stance of the Chinese Wushu art Changquan. Motoko took the basic stance of Jeet Kun Do, keeping her body loose and non-rigid as to optimize her body's readiness for any attack.

The judges looked over both of them carefully before announcing,

"Are both combatants ready?"

"Yes." Rikumaru said, his smile disappearing into an icy emotionless expression.

The judges then looked to Motoko.

Was she ready for this? Her mind kept saying yes, but her pounding heart was obviously saying otherwise, that as well as the nervous feeling in her stomach.

'Enough!' she thought. 'I must win. I will win. _I will!_'

"Combatant Motoko, are you ready?" The judge reaffirmed.

"Yes, I am ready!" Motoko called, the sound of irritation and impatience being given away in her voice.

Balancing on the balls of her feet, she readied herself for anything.

Both judges then raised their right arm and yelled,

"Ready…" Then, with the fall of their hands yelled "FIGHT"

Rikumaru immediately dashed forward, performed a somersault and an aerial sidekick that landed in the center of Motoko's chest, knocking her back and sending her rolling along the cold hard stone of the stage. The kick had caught her completely off guard, for she did not anticipate his attack to be executed with such speed.

'I will not let it happen again.' She thought.

She recovered as quickly as she could, snapping back to her feet only to be met with a barrage of lightning fast fists. She was able to block each and every one, but just when she took advantage of the perfect opening to strike, Rikumaru dodged by performing a side somersault. He then quickly followed with a sweep kick that Motoko barely avoided in time with a back flip.

Landing back on her feet, she leapt back to create some distance so she could have some time to rethink her battle strategy. She remembered that Seta's Jeet Kun Do was indeed very strong. Motoko hoped that that strength would be passed to her through Keitaro's lessons, but at this rate she is barely able to keep up with Rikumaru's complex and refined style.

In a desperate attempt to gain the upper hand, she planned to do a roundhouse kick, followed by several quick punches to his ribs. As Motoko performed the roundhouse, however, Rikumaru dodged by ducking and blocked the four punches that followed. With several parrying movements of his forearms, Rikumaru rendered her defenses useless, got inside and dealt several devastating blows to her midsection.

The incredible pain brought her to her knees. She wanted to moan in agony, but would never give Rikumaru that pleasure. Despite this, Rikumaru quickly stepped up and gave her a roundhouse, with a loud "Huaaaahhh!" as if stepping on her already damaged dignity. Motoko's rolled along the stage and came to a stop on her back. Now in a hazy blood red world of pain, all she could do was keep telling herself,

'Get up, Motoko. Get up! You're dead if you don't get up right now! GET UP!!'

She rolled out of the way just in time to avoid Rikumaru's stomping foot coming down on her.

Rikumaru took his time pursuing her, as if already certain of victory. Painfully she raised herself on shaky hands and knees. Despite the burning pain in her midsection, she still had strength enough to balance on two feet and form a defensive karate stance. She took long deep breaths to keep her body steady and her eyes focused, as her vision was starting to blur. Her mental conditioning to block out pain was working but not by much.

She had a plan. It was a weak plan, but still a plan. Watching Rikumaru approach, she intentionally left herself open on her left side. Seeing the opportunity, Rikumaru went straight for it, using the Long Fist. Timing it perfectly, Motoko quickly reversed her stance, closing the opening at the last second. She redirected the striking fist away with her right forearm, got inside his defenses and gave a hard elbow to his ribs, as hard as she could. She followed this with a fast uppercut, effectively knocking him on his back.

Rikumaru sat up. He wiped the blood that dripped from his mouth, looked at it and with an angered expression, spit away the rest from his mouth.

"You fool! Do you truly think you can stop inevitable?" He said, rising to his feet.

Motoko lowered her brow and showed a defiant smile as she gained back some of her inner fire.

"That's why I'm here." She said, forming her Jeet Kun Do stance once more.

Rikumaru lunged at her with another Long Fist. Motoko quickly ducked out of its way and before Rikumaru could recover, she moved around behind and gave him a hard kidney shot.

'His style is highly effective at long range, but at short range it is very weak.' Motoko thought.

Now feeling the pain of her strike, Rikumaru jumped on his hands and performed a whirlwind kick to which she ducked again to avoid. She then got in close once more, blocked his four punches, pushed open his defenses and performed a double fist strike to his chest, knocking him back several feet.

Before the two could move into their next attack, a loud gong filled the air, causing the two to come to a stop. One of the judges then announced,

"Five minutes have passed! Weapons will now be allowed!"

The two fighters then relaxed for a moment.

Looking to the judge to his right, Rikumaru then held out his hand.

"My favorite weapon, please." He said.

The judge then produced the weapon from behind him and tossed it to Rikumaru's waiting hand. It was a steel sickle with a long steel chain leading from the handle. His weapon now in hand, he performed several fancy circular movements, cutting the blade through the air with the chain following behind it like a long flowing dragon's tail.

Motoko then looked to the judge to her right and held out her hand.

"My Katana, please."

The judge produced the sword and tossed it to Motoko.

She caught it, calmly removed the sheath from the shining blade and slid it into her belt. She then took the hilt with both hands and performed several fancy movements of her own. The razor sharp Japanese steel sliced through the air almost faster than the eye could see. Only the trail of Motoko's blade could been seen as it formed circles and swirls above and around her. After all those mesmerizing movements, she ended in an aggressive forward thrust. She then reversed her grip on the hilt and calmly sheathed the blade.

Rikumaru gave a slight nod, as if to say, 'not bad'. He then readied his weapon.

"Before we continue, tell me one thing." Motoko said, her expression becoming softer.

"What is it?" He said, staying his hand for a moment.

"Why condemn your own daughter to death over a simple failure?"

Rikumaru silently looked away for a moment. Then he looked back to her, seeing her eager expression.

"You know nothing." He said, showing a hardened expression.

"Are you that blinded by conquest that your own family means nothing to you?"

"SILENCE! What would you, a samurai, know of our way of life? What would you know about the bindings of duty?" His gaze fell slightly. "To be forced to condemn someone, despite how much you love them."

Motoko paused for a moment.

"…You're right. I don't know a thing about that. But I do know this: No matter what, you should always follow your heart. If you lose that, then you lose everything."

"I see." Rikumaru said, closing his eyes. "Then I have no choice." He then opened them again with a look of fiery determination. "Prepare yourself, Motoko Aoyama! This will be the final battle!"

'Just as I feared.' Motoko thought. 'There is no reaching him after all.'

The two took their battle stances. Up to this point, Motoko was functioning on nothing but pure adrenaline. She knew this and prayed that adrenaline will hold out for just a little longer. She could feel that the end of the battle was very close. Just a little longer. That's all she needed. Despite all the pain, all the exhaustion. 'For Kyoto, for my family, for Keitaro, please grant me strength for just a little longer!'

Rikumaru readied his weapon once more, as he said,

"This ends now!"

He then launched his sickle directly at her, its snake-like chain trailing behind it. Motoko deflected it with her blade, but just barely. In the seconds that Motoko recovered from the heavy gambit, Rikumaru ran straight at her. But then he leapt into the air, landed behind her and before she could act in defense he wrapped his chain around her neck, choking her.

"Why do you persist? Just give up!" He said, squeezing ever tighter.

Pulling the chain as much as she could away from the front of her neck to allow herself to breath, she said,

"I've…I've heard that before…It didn't work last time either."

She then moved her hips to the left, took the hilt of her katana and hit him hard in the midsection. He became distracted enough for her to free herself from the metal noose he had held her neck so tightly with. As she held her now throbbing neck, trying to create some distance, Rikumaru swung his long chain and took her feet out from under her, causing her to fall forward hard.

As she rolled over, she saw Rikumaru leap into the air once more, his sickle held high as he yelled,

"Kyoto is mine!!"

She quickly rolled out of the way, just in time to allow his blade to strike the stone surface with a burst of metal sparks. She jumped to her feet and returned his attack with one of her own.

Back and forth they exchanged strikes between katana and sickle. Motoko felt another surge of adrenaline. Possibly the last one she'll be blessed with in this battle. She realized this and decided to use it well. Motoko took the battle from the stone stage out into the uneven terrain of the courtyard where she might have a better advantage. Putting her acrobatic skills to the test, she leapt from one statue to the next as Rikumaru left nothing but crumbled stone in her wake.

"Running is futile! You're only prolonging the inevitable!" Rikumaru yelled, chasing close behind her.

Motoko was thinking on her feet. She was trying to develop a plan and as they got closer to the building's ledge, she felt that was a good place to start. She jumped into one of the sakura trees that lined the edge of the property, hopped up the branches and onto the five foot tall brick wall's ledge. Rikumaru jumped up and landed across from her.

"There's nowhere else to run, Motoko. Accept your fate!" He said, inching closer.

The ledge was four feet wide and about 200 feet long. On one side was the courtyard, on the other, 1,500 feet straight down of nothing but empty air.

'Okay, I've got him on the ledge. Now what do I do?' She asked herself. Motoko looked at him, then at their surroundings. 'Damn, there really is nowhere else to go.' Rikumaru was drawing closer, a blood thirsty grin shown on his face.

"Oh, hell with it!" She yelled, as she dashed at him.

Motoko had decided to enter the realm of desperate ludicrous. She tossed her sword over him and as he made a swipe of his sickle at her feet, she jumped up over him, performed a somersault, caught her blade as she landed on her feet, spun around and slashed Rikumaru across the back, drawing a stream of blood that dripped onto the concrete surface at their feet.

Rikumaru showed a grimace of pain as he turned and faced her, holding the wound on his back. He looked at his hand and saw the blood that covered it. He then looked back to Motoko with eyes filled with rage.

"I'll kill you! You pathetic samurai!" He yelled, reaching his sickle way back.

Then he launched it at Motoko with everything he had left. Time itself seemed to slow down. As the sickle spun towards her, Motoko was able to move out of the way just fast enough for the sickle's blade to cut into her right arm. Motoko was about to return the attack when she saw a chilling smile across Rikumaru's face. He quickly pulled back on the chain, bringing the sickle back with a snap. She realized right away the danger coming back from behind her.

The sickle blade would have cut Motoko clean in half if she hadn't thought fast enough and performed a back flip, narrowly evading the blade that moved so close along the curve of her back. Rikumaru was about to dodge the blade that came back at him, but then he stopped himself and instead simply closed his eyes and stood right where he was. Seeing this as she landed back on her feet, Motoko yelled,

"Look out!"

The long curved blade impaled Rikumaru through the chest. He slowly fell to his knees and then collapsed. Motoko stood frozen as her wide eyes looked on. After a moment, Motoko shook herself out of it, ran over to where he was and knelt down next to him. She gently reached down and held up his head. Opening his eyes, he looked up at her with a certain expression of content.

"Why? Why didn't you dodge it, knowing it would kill you?" she asked, sorrow flowing to her features.

He showed a tiny smile and said,

"…I die…so she may live."

Then his eyes closed as his last soft breath left him.

"She?" Motoko said, confused. She then carefully laid his head down.

Slowly and painfully, she stood up as all the injuries she had sustained within the past 24 hours seemed to scream out all at once. She took a deep breath, while trying to manage the pain. She then looked down at Rikumaru's now still form. She put her hands together and gave a silent prayer.

After a long moment, Motoko let her hands fall to her sides. At this point, the pain was no longer registering. Her adrenaline had worn off. The exhaustion was taking over. She was beginning to feel faint, even dizzy. Her tired eyes shakily moved from Rikumaru's still form, along the white stone path to the mansion. Her body was failing. She could feel it. Her breaths became shallow, labored.

Her knees were failing her. Losing her balance, she felt herself drift back. That disembodying feeling. She was falling, falling over the ledge and she had no strength left to stop herself. All she could do was reach out to a ledge that was out of her grasp. Her vision was the final thing to go. Everything was starting to go dark and despite her internal struggles to fight it, she quickly soared into the realm of unconsciousness.

Then, at the very moment when she thought it was all over for her. She felt someone grab her outstretched hand. Coming back to the conscious world, she opened her eyes. Everything was a soft blur. After her vision slowly came back into focus, what she saw was the last thing she thought she'd ever see: It was Mei with her outstretched hand holding hers.

"…M…Mei?" Motoko said weakly in disbelief.

Showing a reassuring smile, Mei said,

"I'm no dream, Motoko." She then showed an expression of strain. "Quick! Give me your other hand!"

With much effort, Motoko reached up and finally grabbed Mei's other hand. Slowly and carefully, Mei pulled her up and laid her on the ledge. As Mei sat down and took a moment to catch her breath, Motoko carefully sat up. They then looked at eachother for a moment.

Motoko showed a grateful smile and said,

"You saved me, Mei. Thank you."

Mei looked away for a moment. Then she turned her eyes back to Motoko and said,

"No, you were the one who saved _me_. And for that, I want to thank _you_…my friend."

Starting slowly, they then moved into a tender hug. Motoko closed her eyes and shed happy tears as Mei did the same.

Then, after a long moment, Motoko heard a child's laughter that sounded so familiar to her. She looked over towards the estate and her heart dropped at what she saw. For it was none other than Rei standing there before them. With eyes of tender innocence, Rei showed Motoko a beautiful smile. Then Rei looked at she and Mei together and showed an even brighter smile as she gave the victory sign with her fingers. Then with the sound of sweet laughter, she disappeared as an unseasonably warm gust of wind moved over the estate.

Shedding a tear down her cheek, Motoko looked over at Mei and said,

"Did you just see…"

Looking back at her with a pleasant smile and a tear going down her cheek as well, Mei says,

"Yes…I saw her too. She looked happy. Maybe…maybe this was what she wanted all along: For us to be friends."

Motoko gave a nod.

Mei then looked over to her father. Mei got up, walked over and knelt down beside him. She pulled the sickle from his chest and tossed it onto the green grass of the property below. Mei laid a gentle hand on his face.

"Oh, Father. Why? Why die by your own weapon?" Mei leaned over and tenderly kissed his forehead.

Motoko then moved behind her and said,

"Before he died, he said, 'I die so she may live.'"

"I die so she may live?" Mei said, looking at his face, curiously. "Regardless, you can now finally rest in peace, my dear Father."

Mei stood up and turned back to Motoko. She reached out her hand and helped Motoko as she uneasily and painfully stood up. Mei then reached into the utility belt on her right thigh and handed Motoko two vials.

"Here, take these."

"What are they?" Motoko asked, taking the vials.

"These are what I came back here for. It's a chemical compound that promotes spontaneous tissue regeneration. We keep it locked up in a vault located in the Bio-Research lab. Use one on yourself and give the other to Keitaro. You both should recover instantly."

Looking at the two vials that were filled with champagne colored serum, she said,

"I…I don't know what to say."

Mei just smiled and said,

"Don't say anything. Just go. Keitaro needs you."

"But what about you? What about the death order? Coming back here means suicide for you." Motoko said.

"Motoko…" Mei said, as she took one of the vials from Motoko's hand and placed it into an injector gun. "That was my choice to make." She then took Motoko's arm and injected her with the serum. "And I'm glad I chose this path."

Motoko gave her a tender look, followed by a pleasant smile.

Motoko then felt the effects of the serum as it flowed through her veins. She took a deep breath as an incredible feeling ran through her like a rip tide. All of her pain and exhaustion went away all at once. She felt amazing. Her body was revitalized and her energy fully replenished. The world seemed fresh again, new.

Before Motoko could describe her wondrous feeling, her words were cut off by the sudden appearance of countless Ninjas that surrounded them in less than a heartbeat. In alarm, Mei and Motoko turned and faced their possible enemies. Then, what looked like the leader of the brigade, came forward. He looked to Motoko and then back to Mei.

"Mei Tachibana." He said.

"General Nakahara." Mei said, standing tall before him.

"For the abandonment of your mission, you have been sentenced to death."

"Yes." Mei said.

Motoko then spoke up.

"This is insane! Mei, how could-" But then her words were cut off by Mei's raised hand.

"It's alright, Motoko." Mei said, calmly and almost with a hint of sadness. "This is the way it has to be." She then looked to the General. "Do what you have to do. But spare her."

"That will not be necessary." The General said.

The General took a few solid steps towards her. He then knelt down in front of her and lowered his head. All the other Ninjas did the same.

Dumbfounded, Motoko and Mei looked at them all.

"What is this? What's going on?" Mei asked.

The General raised his head and said,

"My Lady, with the death of your father and you being his only remaining heir, the death order is overturned and you have become his successor. This is per your father's strict orders in the case of his death. You are now the new head of House Tachibana."

Mei was at a loss.

"This…this is ridiculous…I'm no leader." Mei said, shaking her head. "I'm just a simple soldier."

Then Mei felt Motoko's hand on her shoulder, to which Mei turned her head to her.

"Great leaders do not seek power. Great leaders have power thrust upon them." Motoko said.

At those words, the General announced,

"All hail Mei Tachibana! Our new Master!"

Mei lowered her head as her eyes wavered.

'…'I die so she may live'…' She thought. 'I understand now. Father, you did it for me. So I may live. Thank you.'

Mei then raised her head and faced her kinsmen with a look of resolve.

"Rise, my loyal soldiers and listen to my words! I hereby decree that the long war that has raged between the Aoyama and Tachibana ends here and now! Kyoto will be left unharmed. From this day forth, the two noble houses of Aoyama and Tachibana shall forever coexist in peace!"

The General touched his fist to his chest and said,

"My Lady, it shall be so."

Mei then turned back to Motoko, who was at a complete loss of words in her gratefulness. Mei then stepped forward and embraced Motoko once more.

"The war is over, Motoko. It's finally finished. This is my gift to you, my friend." Mei said.

Motoko held her tight as the brightest smile came over her.

A pleasant gust of wind blew over them as the bright warm sun shown down from the eastern sky. A long awaited peace finally falls over the land. A new era had begun and no Aoyama or Tachibana will ever raise their weapon against eachother again.

Thanks to the generosity of the Aoyama's new ally, Motoko was transported on a private jet back to Kyoto in due haste. Motoko had contacted the Aoyama Estate and given them all the details during the flight.

After the jet had touched down and Motoko exited the craft, she was met immediately by her father, Kenji. Motoko, with complete conviction, walked up to her father and awaited his words. Expecting nothing short of a harsh scolding for her reckless actions, she lowered her head. After a long moment, she instead felt two hands gently cradle her face.

She raised her eyes, to see a pleasant smile on her father's features. Kenji then began to speak.

"Motoko, you left my house in foolish haste and sped off towards certain death. Even so, you never stopped fighting for what you believed in and you never ever gave up on a friend in need. For that, I am so proud of you."

Motoko's eyes filled with tears as she felt her heart overflow. She threw herself into her father's welcoming arms and embraced him with all of her might as he did the same. Motoko was so happy. Her father's praise and forgiveness meant almost everything to her. Despite their constant clashing of egos, a father's love is a father's love. Motoko will always be his daughter as he will always be her father.

After a long moment, Motoko pulled back and said,

"Father, I have to get this vial to Keitaro right away."

"I was already filled in on the details." Kenji said as he then motioned to the black Mercedes behind him. "This car will take you directly to the hospital. Go in haste, daughter."

"Thank you so much, Father." She said.

She stood up on her tip-toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek to which he gave a pleasant smile. She then ran to the car, got inside and off the car went.

Within ten minutes, Motoko was at the hospital. As soon as she ran through the front entrance, she was escorted directly to Keitaro's room by the Aoyama guard. She ran over to Keitaro's bedside and took out the injector gun Mei had given her. She secured the vial into the top of the gun, took Keitaro's arm and shot the serum directly into his bloodstream.

Motoko stared at him with anxious anticipation. Ten seconds go by. Twenty. Thirty.

'It's not working! Why isn't it working?' She thought, leaning down and clutching his hand.

Several more seconds go by.

"No." She said, resting her hands on the table next to the bed and hanging her head. "I've failed you, Keitaro. I tried. I tried so damn hard!"

Keitaro slowly opened his eyes and awoke to the sound of a woman crying. Confused, he looked over to see Motoko quietly weeping over the bed table next to him. Forming a pleasant smile, he said,

"What's wrong, beautiful? I hope those are tears of joy."

At the sound of his words, Motoko looked over to him in surprise.

"So…did I miss anything?" He said, showing a bright smile.

"KEITARO!!" Motoko yelled in joy, jumping onto the bed and grabbing him into her arms.

"Heh heh, easy now. I'm still in a hospital bed." He said, hugging her back.

"I don't care." She said, giving a grateful laugh. "You came back to me and that's all that matters. I was so scared. I thought I'd lost you."

Keitaro held her tenderly.

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart." He said. "You can count on that."

The two had finally returned to eachother. One from a physical journey and the other from the depths of his own body. They both continued to hold onto eachother as if nothing else in this whole wide world mattered.

Early the next day, a gathering was held between the two houses of Tachibana and Aoyama at the Aoyama's Estate. Both leaders, Kenji Aoyama and Mei Tachibana, stood at the large table in the main conference room. Between them was the treaty that would ensure peace between the two families indefinitely. With all members of both houses in attendance, the two signed the treaty.

They then turned to eachother and shook hands.

With a grateful smile, Kenji said,

"Mei Tachibana, you left my house being pursued as an enemy. Now you have returned as a valued ally. Welcome to my house."

Returning the smile, Mei said,

"Kenji Aoyama, you are wise and your house is one of honor and integrity. My house and I are very grateful for your hospitality. I hope that in the coming years, our two great houses may learn much from eachother."

"As do I." Kenji said.

The two then stepped back and gave eachother a deep bow, which was followed by the applause of all those in attendance. At that, the celebrations had commenced.

In early evening, the celebration dinner party was now well underway. Motoko and Keitaro walked among the many guests of both houses in the main room. Motoko wore a silver kimono with a white sash. Her hair was pulled back in a fancy knot as two streams came down and framed her face perfectly. Keitaro wore a traditional black kimono as his hair was slicked back.

Motoko then caught sight of Mei, mingling among the guests.

She then turned to Keitaro.

"Hon, could you do me a favor and get me a latte? I would really like one, right now." She said, lovingly laying her hand on her lover's shoulder.

He looked over to Mei and then back to Motoko.

"Alright, sweetheart." He said, showing an understanding smile.

The two parted with a kiss and Motoko made her way through the crowd towards her friend. Mei was facing away from Motoko, quietly looking over the large room full of people. As she drew nearer, Motoko got a good look at what Mei was wearing.

She wore a black kimono with flowing designs of aqua blue that went perfectly with her blue silk sash. Her hair was done up nice, parted to the side and pushed back over her ear. On her lips was an icy blue lipstick that matched her eye shadow.

Motoko got close to Mei and whispered,

"Nice Kimono. I think this is the first time I've seen you in anything other than a skin tight battle suit. I have to say, you clean up very nicely."

Forming a bright smile, Mei turned to her and said,

"I think I can get used to this. In fact, maybe I can find a husband of my own, Motoko, since you seem to have all the luck in that department. Who knows? Maybe some of that luck will rub off on me."

"They say there is someone out there for everyone. I know you'll find someone who will make you happy." Motoko said, giving her arm a friendly rub.

"Yeah, maybe someday." Mei said.

Not two seconds after she said that, a man stumbled backwards and bumped into Mei. The man immediately realized his mistake and said,

"I'm really sorry! Are you alright? I can be so clumsy sometimes." He then gave an apologetic bow.

"N-no, it's okay, really." Mei said.

Then he stood up and their eyes met. Star struck and frozen they stared into each other's eyes for a moment. Getting a good look at him, Motoko recognized him as a member of House Aoyama's Intelligence department.

Stumbling over his own words, as he was still a little star struck, he said,

"I-I'm Reiji Noriyama. I work for Aoyama Intelligence. Listen, I'm really sorry. How about I make it up to you, say, over dinner?"

His bright smile, light blue eyes and clumsy charm captivated Mei.

"Sure, I'd like that." She said.

"I still didn't get your name, Miss…?" Reiji said, holding out his hand.

"Tachibana, Mei Tachibana." She said with an amused smile as she took his hand.

Reiji then froze as if he almost didn't know what to say.

"Y-You're Mei Tachibana? THE Mei Tachibana?" He said, nervously.

"Since the day I was born." Mei said, her smile growing wider.

"P-Please forgive me!" he said.

"Don't worry about it. So…Where did you want to take me for dinner?" She said, tilting her head and showing a charming smile.

His clumsy smile returned to him as he rubbed the back of his head.

Motoko let the two be, as they seemed to strike it off pretty well. Keitaro showed up behind Motoko and handed her a green tea latte.

"What's up with them?" Keitaro said, watching Mei and Reiji laughing and exchanging smiles.

"Oh, I think Mei's finally found a reason to calm down a bit. Something tells me she'll be visiting Kyoto a lot more often from now on."

"Well, good for her." Keitaro said, gently wrapping his arms around her waist.

Motoko then turned around in his arms and gave him a quick kiss.

"What say we get out of here, my love?" She said, showing him a scheming smile.

Keitaro returned the smile and said,

"And where would you like to go, my dearest?"

Motoko playfully traced circles on his chest as she said,

"Oh, someplace quiet and private, where it would be just the two of us."

"I think I have someplace in mind." He said, his smile getting brighter.

The two then quickly left the room in search of someplace far from the gazes of inquiring eyes.

Later that night, in one of the main bedrooms of the Aoyama Estate, lay Keitaro with his arm around Motoko's waist as they slept in the spoon position atop a soft king size bed. The door was locked, giving them complete privacy.

Motoko woke up, unable to shake this uneasy feeling in her gut. Her lover still asleep, she carefully got out of bed, lightly stepped into the adjoining bathroom and quietly closed the door behind her. She turned on the light and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

She then looked closely at the fang marks on the side of her neck. When she took the serum, the wounds had closed up and turned to tiny scars, which were barely noticeable. With a look of sadness, she slowly raised her hand and touched the scars on her neck with her fingers. Then, with a still worried look, she reached over and turned out the light.

_End?_


End file.
